Rice for exports (Photo: VNA) At a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on December13, the VFA said nearly 70 percent of Vietnamese rice is sold in Asia each yearwith China the biggest importer, followed by the Philippines, Indonesia andMalaysia.
However, Vietnam’s rice exports to these marketsare sluggish.
VFA Chairman Huynh The Nang said in previousyears, the three ASEAN nations imported around 2-3 million tonnes of rice fromVietnam.
However, currently, rice export volume to themarkets has reduced due to their governments’ policies of balancing domesticfood and reducing dependence on rice imports.
Meanwhile, China has put forth new quarantineregulations, and signed a protocol with Vietnam setting stricter sterilisationinspections on Vietnamese rice and rice bran imports.
Nang said it is necessary to improve qualityand ensure food safety by building safe material areas which trace the originof products.
He advised making use of potential riceproduction regions, including Dong Thap Muoi (the Plain of Reeds) and Tu GiacLong Xuyen (Long Xuyen Quadrangle) and the rice-shrimp rotational crops regionbetween the Tien and Hau rivers in the Mekong Delta.
Luong Hoang Thai, head of the Ministry ofIndustry and Trade’s Multilateral Trade Policy Department, said 90 percent ofVietnamese rice exports come from the Mekong Delta.
Over 1 million tonne of rice was lost due todrought and saltwater intrusion in the 2015-2016 winter-spring crops, he said,adding that rice production in the delta will face more difficulties fromclimate change and rising sea levels.
This requires the country to build large-scalepaddy fields and stable material areas to create high-quality and competitiveproducts, the panel suggested.-VNA
VNA
