Long An (VNA) – The third Vietnam Rice Festival kicked off in theMekong Delta province of Long An on December 18.
The week-long event is being run by the Vietnam Farmer’s Union, the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development and the provincial People’s Committee.
Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Farmer’s Union Luong Quoc Doan said the festival isan important part of the country’s strategy for agriculture development, andrice production and exports.
It also affirms the key economic role and brand of Vietnamese rice in theglobal market, he added.
The event aims to promote the advantages of the Mekong Delta and enabledomestic and foreign organisations, businesses and investors to seekcooperation opportunities.
It features a wide range of activities, including a trade fair on Vietnameserice involving more than 600 businesses and localities, a contest on theVietnamese rice brand and workshops on climate change adaptation and rice branddevelopment.
At the opening ceremony, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development revealedthe logo of Vietnam’s rice brand.
The first edition of the festival was held in 2009 in Hau Giang province.
In the past few months, rice has been the fastest-growing currency earner amongagro-forestry-fisheries products. From January-November 2018, Vietnam exported5.7 million tonnes of rice worth 2.86 billion USD, up 16.8 percent year-on-yearin terms of value.
The number of Vietnam’s rice export markets has increased to 150 countries andterritories from 60 over the last three years. Apart from traditional markets,more Vietnamese rice has reached Latin American and Middle East countries.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade forecast that rice exports will hit 6.2million tonnes this year, up 6.6 percent annually, bringing home nearly 3.12billion USD, up 18.5 percent year-on-year.-VNA
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