According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Vietnam exported 1.85 million tonnes of rice worth 981.4 million USD in the first quarter of this year, up 23.4% in quantity and 34.3% in value year-on-year.

The Philippines spent more than 450 million USD importing some 900,000 tonnes of Vietnamese rice in the first quarter of this year, and more orders are expected to be placed in the time ahead.

The Southeast Asian neighbouring country was the biggest importer of Vietnamese rice in the quarter, making up 48.2% in volume and 45.9% in value, followed by China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Ghana, the department reported.

The average export price in the reviewed period was estimated at 531 USD per tonne, up 9.2% year-on-year, the highest in the past decade.

The global shortage of rice, one of the most consumed food grains in the world, is set to be the largest in the last two decades, according to New York-based research firm Fitch Solutions.

A conference was held in Hong Kong (China) on April 19 to tighten relations between rice businesses from Vietnam and Hong Kong as well as promote Vietnamese high-quality rice in the market.

Currently, about 24% of rice imported to Hong Kong is from Vietnam, making Vietnam the second largest rice exporter to the market. By the end of March 2023, Vietnam exported more than 16,000 tons to Hong Kong, approximately the same period last year.

Organizers of the conference hope that, functional agencies of the two sides could find ways to remove current obstacles and promote the foothold of Vietnamese rice in Hong Kong.

Vietnamese rice has been present in more than 150 countries and territories around the world with diverse varieties and qualities that meet the requirements of the most demanding markets such as the US, the EU, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore.

Farmers adopting the shrimp-rice model in the Mekong Delta should seek to adapt to climate change by using advanced techniques and linking up with processing companies to develop value chains, experts have said.

The delta, the country’s largest producer of rice and seafood, has been using the model for decades since it is suitable for application in coastal areas, which are normally affected by saltwater intrusion in the dry season.

Farmers grow rice in the wet season and breed shrimp in the dry season on the same fields.

There were nearly 190,000ha under shrimp-rice farming last year, mostly in Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and Kien Giang provinces, according to the Directorate of Fisheries.

The coastal areas have optimal conditions for the model and farmers earn 60 – 70 million VND (2,600-3,000 USD) per hectare from it annually.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced a decision to set up the public-private partnership (PPP) task force on rice and discussed an action plan for 2023 at a recent conference held in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

Under the decision issued on June 23 last year, the establishment aims to improve the quality and sustainability of the sector by tapping available efforts of diverse actors in the value chain. The task force is expected to attract investment and strengthen the modernisation of the local agriculture and food systems through the application of technology and innovation connectivity.

At the event, Le Quoc Thanh, Director of the National Agricultural Extension Centre (NAEC), stated the task force is committed to transforming the sector’s competition focus from prices to quality, nutrition and sustainability.

Vietnam is expected to ship about 6.5-7 million tonnes of rice abroad this year thanks to the return of markets like Indonesia, Bangladesh, and China, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).

Vietnam now sees a sharp increase in rice orders from the Philippines and China.

Acccording to Pham Thai Binh, General Director of Trung An Hi-tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, the company has signed an order to export 2,000 tonnes of rice to China and is under negotiation for another batch of 20,000 tonnes.

Statistics from the General Administration of Vietnam Customs show that in the first two months of this year, China imported 152,640 tonnes of rice from Vietnam worth 90 million USD, a year-on-year increase of 86% in volume and 120% in value.

T.Huong

Source: Vitic/VNA