Local rice industry needs technology in preservation, processing
Can Tho (VNS/VNA) - The application of advanced technology in preservation and
processing is the most important factor in Vietnam’s rice value chain, said Nguyen
Hong Son, Director of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences under the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
This field had the potential for strong development in the
domestic rice production industry, especially enterprises in the domestic rice
production chain, he said.
MARD had employed specific programmes and action plans to
attract investment in this field, especially investment opportunities from free
trade agreements that Vietnam has signed with other countries.
"Foreign rice processing and preservation technology
enterprises are expected to pay more attention to the Vietnamese market and
cooperate with domestic manufacturing enterprises to promote technology to
increase efficiency and quality in local rice production," Son said at the
annual Vietnam Rice Value Chain Development Workshop 2019 held in Can Tho last
week.
Nguyen Chanh Trung, the Tan Long Group’s Managing Director in
rice and rice factory, said in its rice production chain, it cooperated with
farmers in production and then purchased rice from farmers. After that, it used
modern technology and machines for drying and storage of rice, meeting the
requirements to have high quality products for high-demanding markets such as the
Republic of Korea, as well as the domestic market.
The company also guided the farmers to gradually switch from
the old farming model to organic rice production, Trung said.
Rice is a key export product of Vietnam, with export volume
ranging from 4.9 to 7.7 million tonnes per year. The export value of rice has
always reached over 2 billion USD per year and it even reached a record of over
3 billion USD last year, according to MARD.
Now, Vietnam is the third largest rice exporter in the world,
accounting for about 15 percent of the total rice export volume. Vietnamese
products have been exported to about 150 countries and territories.
Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Industry
and Trade’s Import and Export Department, said in the first eight months of
this year, Vietnam's rice export volume reached 5.4 million tonnes, up 0.1 percent
but the rice export value dropped by 15 percent year on year to 1.96 billion
USD.
Vietnam’s rice exports to China decreased by 63 percent in
volume and 67 percent in value. In addition, the rice exports to other
countries also saw strong reduction, such as Indonesia (down 96 percent),
Bangladesh (down 75 percent) and Algeria (down 55 percent).
However, the Philippines market has emerged as a bright spot
in Vietnam's rice export activities to help the national total rice exports
rise in the first eight months.
In the January-August period, Vietnam exported nearly 1.5
million tonnes of rice to the Philippines, an increase of more than 200 percent
year on year, accounting for 37 percent of Vietnam's rice exports.
This year, the export value of fragrant rice, specialty rice,
and organic rice has increased in number, increasing the value of export rice.
However, the application of advanced technology in rice
production, processing and preservation is still very limited for the domestic
rice production chain. This has created a significant impact on the quality and
price of Vietnamese export rice compared to similar products of major rice
exporting countries such as Thailand and India, according to MARD.
"In recent years, many businesses have invested in
high-quality products from design and appearance to good quality of rice as
well as maintain high quality of rice during storage and trading. However, the
number of producers doing that is not many compared to the large rice export
volume," Son said.
Therefore, the application of advanced technology in
preservation and processing is very important in Viet Nam's rice value chain to
increase to meet the strict requirements of major rice export markets, he said.
Do Ha Nam, Vice Chairman of Vietnam Food Association, Chairman
of Board of Directors and General Director of Intimex Group said to have
sustainable development in Vietnam's rice production industry, it was necessary
to choose high-value products like Jasmine rice.
On the other hand, local
rice producers needed to renew technical production and equipment to not lose
the market. They also must manage food safety and hygiene, chemical products
and post-harvest preservation to overcome the increasing technical barriers of
developed countries, he said.
At the seminar, many businesses introduced global advanced
technologies in rice production and processing as well as practical experience
in applying technology to rice production and processing stages./.