Vietnam to Export More Iron-Fortified, High-Quality Rice
Domestic enterprises received approval from the Vietnamese Prime Minister to fulfill already-signed contracts to export high-quality rice and iron-fortified variety to the Philippines, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).
The approval was released at a recent HCM City meeting where the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) proposed to export four million tons of rice next year, over 700,000 tons less than this year.
The Ministry of Trade and the association reached agreement on this based on a proposal by the MARD, but suggested that more could be exported if rice output improved.
Rice crop diseases and drought in Vietnam’s rice basket the Mekong Delta prompted the government to halt major rice shipments in mid-November.
As a result, rice export volume edged down to 4.7 million tons this year from 5.2 million tons in 2005.
Vietnam, the world’s second largest rice exporter, grossed US$1.3 billion in 2006 from shipping rice to 100 countries and territories, mainly within Asia.
Youth
Vietnamese
