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Rice exports may exceed target of 4.5mil tonnes: MARD
Nguyen Tri Ngoc, Head of the Cultivation Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said that the amount of rice output proves to be plentiful, which may cause rice exports to be higher than the target level of 4.5mil tonnes.
Could you please tell me about the supplies of commercial rice from Mekong River Delta this year?
According to the General Statistics Office, the rice output will be some 38.5mil tonnes, an increase of 2.6mil tonnes from 2007. The Mekong River Delta has 430,000 ha of autumn-winter crop fields, while the figure was just 230,000 ha in 2007. Therefore, we have every reason to believe that the commercial paddies will see considerable increases.
Enterprises only need to export 600,000 tonnes more to fulfill the target of 4.5mil tonnes for exports this year. Meanwhile, enterprises still have large stocks of 1mil tonnes. Besides, we also have a large rice volume left unsold among farmers.
Therefore, I can say that the supplies of rice for export prove to be abundant for the last months of 2008 and the first months of 2009. The exports may exceed the targeted volume of 4.5mil tonnes.
Enterprises need to look for importers and sign new contracts which can both ensure profits for farmers and for businesses.
Is there any worry that the overly high exports will threaten domestic food security?
Right after the autumn-winter crop finishes, the country will enter the new crop, the 2008-2009 winter-spring crop, the most secure crop, which makes 50% of the total food output of the whole year.
We have profuse supplies, while the demand has been increasing. However, farmers still cannot sell paddies, why?
The fact that farmers still cannot sell rice is a major problem. The Government has adjusted the targeted rice export limits, paving the way for rice exporters to sign more export contracts with foreign partners. It also ordered banks to provide loans to rice exporters, so that the exporters have money to purchase paddies from farmers.
I think that the existing problem is that overly high lending interest rates have made enterprises hesitant to collect paddies from farmers.
Do you think that the export volume of over 5mil tonnes for the next year is within our reach?
It is too early to predict that, as the rice production has a close relation with the environment, soil and the weather.
VNN
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