Vietnamese Rice Selling Well
Export prices of Vietnamese rice have soared during the first months of 2007, mainly thanks to increased quality and growing global demand, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).
VFA said Vietnamese rice, sold mainly in Indonesian and Filipino markets, has fetched an average of US$325 per ton during the last two months, a fresh record among the past few years.
The price on 25 percent broken rice was reportedly at US$308 a ton, a rise of US$33 from the corresponding period last year, while ten percent broken rice saw a price surge of US$127 per ton from February 2006 to US$443.
Prices of Vietnam’s rice are some US$3-5 per ton lower than that of Thailand.
Some years ago, Vietnamese rice was offered at US$30-50 per ton lower than Thailand.
Vietnam shipped 710,000 tons of rice abroad in the first quarter of this year, fetching US$229 million. The figures showed on year decreases of 43 per cent in volume and 34 per cent in value, according to the latest General Statistics Office report.
Farmers in the Mekong Delta region, Vietnam’s largest rice basket, have hit the jackpot as paddy prices continued to surge to VND2,800 (US$0.17) per kg.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said the Mekong Delta region has so far yielded some 3 million tons of rice off one million hectares of paddy, with another 500,000 hectare to be harvested this month. (
www.thanhniennews, Vietnam Economic Times)
Vietnamese
