A worker carries a rice sack at a warehouse of the Hau Giang Food Joint Stock Company (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – The Ministry of Industryand Trade is drafting a decree to remove bottlenecks for rice exportbusinesses, especially small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The decree, replacing Decree 109/2010/ND-CP onrice export and business is expected to take effect from January 1, 2018, afterwhich businesses will enjoy free trade ofrice without quantitative restrictions.
In early June 2017, the ministry signed a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU) on rice trading with Bangladesh, which is valid until2022.
Under the MoU, Vietnam will export one milliontonnes of rice to Bangladesh annually.
This offers a hugeopportunity for Vietnam to boost exports of this key staple, build a rice brandand connect with farmers.
The Vietnam Food Association authorised the VietnamNorthern Food Corporation and the Southern Food Corporation to export the riceas under Decree 109.
Director General of Trung An Co. Ltd. in theMekong Delta province of Can Tho Pham Thai Binh said some articles in the old decreehindered the development of rice export firms.
The involvement of the Government in seekingcontracts is good for Vietnamese agriculture, but all businesses should be ableto join this activity to promote trade in foreign markets.
Vo Minh Khai, Director General of Vien PhuOrganic – Healthy Food Company from the southernmost province of Ca Mai said revisingthe old decree will create a level playing-field for small rice export firms toproactively access the global market.
The new document will also enable businesses toinvest in producing high-quality products to compete with rivals from Thailandand Cambodia, he added.
Vietnam has exported rice for nearly 30 years,with the first amount of 1.4 million tonnes in 1989, grossing 310 million USDin turnover.
The country earned 2.1 billion USD from selling4.9 million tonnes of rice abroad in 2016.-VNA
VNA
