Vietnam Rice Export Volume Likely to Decrease in 2010

Vietnam will likely export a maximum 5.5 million tons of rice in 2010 due to bad weather and diseases, according to Pham Hoang Ngan, vice director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Information Center for Agriculture and Rural Development.

 

The National Center for Hydrometeorology Forecasting forecast that serious drought in the north and rising sea levels in the south may cause significant losses to farmers in the winter-spring harvest.

 

The ministry said that nearly 12% of the country’s winter-spring rice harvest will be seriously affected by drought, adding that the lack of rain will reduce productivity and may even result in a bad harvest for nearly 80,000 hectares out of 627,000 hectares in the north.

 

Meanwhile, the rising sea level has increased salinity in 53 Mekong Delta communes, according to the Southern Hydrographic and Meteorology Forecast Station, adding that the salt encroachment has damaged 1,200 hectares of rice in Bac Lieu and 40,000 hectares in Soc Trang province.

 

The station forecast that the salt encroachment will damage 800,000 hectares of cultivation land in the region by Mar.

 

The National Institute for Plant Protection late last year warned that a new virus appeared and damaged paddy fields in many regions of Vietnam and it will continue damaging upcoming rice crops.

 

The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) earlier expected that the country will export six million tons of rice this year for US$3 billion.

 

Meanwhile, Thailand, the world biggest rice exporter, set target to export nine million tons.

 

Last year, Vietnam exported 6.2 million tons for a turnover of US$2.4 billion. (VIR)