Gabonese trade minister explores rice production in Long An

Gabon is seeking Vietnamese enterprises that can transfer rice farming technology and invest in rice production, not only to serve domestic consumers but also to export to neighbouring countries, Gabon minister of trade Yves Fernand Manfoumbi said during his visit to Vietnam.

Gabonese minister of trade Yves Fernand Manfoumbi (second from the left) pays a visit to the factory of rice producer Cong Thanh Ut Hanh in the Mekong Delta province of Long An on March 22. (Photo: VNA)

Long An (VNA) – Gabon is seeking Vietnamese enterprises that can transfer rice farming technology and invest in rice production, not only to serve domestic consumers but also to export to neighbouring countries, Gabonese minister of trade Yves Fernand Manfoumbi said during his visit to Vietnam.

Manfoumbi and his entourage on March 22 made a field trip to the factory of Cong Thanh Ut Hanh Co., Ltd – a major rice producer and exporter in Tan An city, the Mekong Delta province of Long An. Nguyen Tuan Thanh, Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, also joined the visit.

Long An has formed a plan to develop 60,000 hectares of high-quality rice farming regions and sub-regions by 2025, Thanh told the Gabonese minister. The province now has over 22,000 hectares of hi-tech rice farming areas, he said.

Long An exports some 600,000 – 800,000 tonnes of rice annually, accounting for around 10 – 13 percent of the country’s total rice shipments, the Vietnamese official noted, adding that Long An rice has been available in 40 countries and territories, mostly China, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It has also been shipped to foreign markets with high standards, such as the Netherlands, the UK, the Republic of Korea, Spain, the Czech Republic and Israel.

There is plenty of room for Long An, Vietnam and Gabonese provinces to expand trade of rice, Thanh stressed.

Manfoumbi said in addition to rice imports, Gabon wants the Long An Department of Industry and Trade and Vietnamese investors and businesses to visit the African country to explore its market, climate and conditions for rice production./.

VNA