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Government urges rice exporters to seek more contracts
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has encouraged rice exporters to sign more and more contracts, emphasising that the Government has not limited the amount of rice for export.
Hai made the statement at an online working session with the Mekong Delta on rice exports on June 4 after representatives from the nation’s largest rice producer asked the Government to raise its export targets as well as allow businesses to buy out rice paddies from farmers as reserves if prices start to fall.
“Businesses should work hard to fulfil the governments target to export 5 million tonnes of rice this year along with making efforts to seek out new markets and contracts,” said the deputy PM.
He asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to make a full inventory of rice storage facilities to determine the best time for launching buy-out measures to avoid losses to farmers.
MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat echoed the government leader’s view by calling on rice producing businesses to sign more exports contracts in the next few weeks.
At this point, farmers in the Mekong Delta have finished harvesting the winter-spring crop and are planting seedlings for the summer-autumn crop as well as preparing for the following season.
MARD expected the nation’s rice bowl would produce 20.7 million tonnes of pre-husked rice this year, leaving 10.4 million tonnes (roughly 5.2 million tonnes of husked rice) for sale overseas after ensuring food security for the southeastern region.
President of the Vietnam Foodstuff Association Truong Thanh Phong said that the world demand for rice has rebounded since May after a short halt due to misinformation that major exporters such as Thailand and India had no stocks of rice left.
He said that as of June 3, the association’s member businesses had signed rice export contracts for over 4.1 million tonnes and expected that shipments overseas in the first six months of the year would reach 3.6 million tonnes as planned.
“Rice exports are likely to meet the Government’s annual target for over 5 million tonnes,” said the watchdog’s chief.
VietNamNet, VNA
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