Vietnam shipped abroad more than 400,000 tonnes of rice in the first month of this year, earning 183 million USD, reported the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).

Another 400,000 tonnes are expected to be shipped in February and 600,000 tonnes more in March.

VFA has forecast that rice export this year can reach 7.5-7.6 million tonnes.

According to the association, the world rice market will be tough this year for exporters, due to high supply and low demand.

Last year, the country exported a record 7.72 million tonnes of rice, earning 3.45 billion USD, based on VFA statistics.-VNA