An international seminar was held in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang on Nov. 10 as part of the ongoing 2nd Vietnam Rice Festival, aiming to seek ways to improve the quality of Vietnam’s rice.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Diep Kinh Tan told the seminar that over the past 25 years, rice production has made marvelous progresses, making Vietnam the second largest rice exporter in the world.

Despite natural disasters, the country is likely to see the largest rice output and the highest ever export volume this year, he added.

However, much remains to be done to increase the quality of rice in a sustainable manner, he said.

Presentations at the event suggested Vietnam apply clean and sustainable production models, and consider selecting wealthy rice varieties to improve rice quality along with building brand name for Vietnamese rice.

The Second Rice Festival that opened on Nov. 8 takes the theme of Honouring Vietnam’s pearl green environment and golden paddy fields and aims to promote the rice trademark of Vietnam in general and Soc Trang province in particular.

Activities during the four-day festival include exhibitions of agricultural tools and production models from early years to modern times, seminars on Vietnam’s rice trademark and exports, and writing and photo contests. /.