Harvesting rice in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho (Photo: VNA)In its urgent proposal, theMoIT suggested the Prime Minister assign ministries, sectors, and relevantlocalities to promptly open a “green lane” for waterway transport, which iscurrently in charge of 95 percent of the rice output in the Mekong Delta - the country’sbiggest agricultural hub and also home to a large river and canal network.
Keeping waterway transportationuninterrupted will substantially help rice exporters maintain supply chains,from the fields to ports for overseas shipment, the MoIT said.
It proposed the PM assign the Ministry of Transport tocoordinate with the Ministry of Health and relevant ministries, sectors, andlocalities to soon devise a “green lane” plan for waterway transport that canboth ensure COVID-19 prevention and ease the existing congestion in the flow ofgoods.
Strict social distancing measures under the PM’sDirective 16 are being imposed on 19 provinces and cities in the south,including the Mekong Delta, to curb the spread of COVID-19. That has reportedlyled to congestion in the transportation of rice from fields to factories andports.
According to the Vietnam Food Association, the countryexported over 3.49 million tonnes of husked rice in the first seven months of2021, down 12.7 percent year on year. This year’s total export volume isforecast at 6 million - 6.2 million tonnes worth about 3.32 billion USD./.
VNA
