The figure represents an increase of 708,000 tonnes compared with theharvest last year and 56 percent of the country’s total output.
The three provinces of Kien Giang, An Giang and Dong Thap together produce 11.7 million tonnes.
That impressive output must be attributed to the fact that provincesin the region increased the area of rice cultivaton to nearly 4.4million hectares, according to Nguyen Phong Quang, deputy head of theSteering Committee for the Southwestern Region.
The use of new high-yield and disease-resistant rice varieties alsohelped increase the output as well as the quality of husked rice, Phongadded.
The Mekong Delta is likely to export 5.85million tonnes of rice in 2014 worth 2.9 billion USD, equal to the lastyear’s value, according to the Steering Committee for the SouthwesternRegion.
The region shipped abroad 5.6million tonnes of rice as of December 15, and is going to export anadditional 250,000 tonnes in the remaining days of the year.-VNA