Illustration photo. (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA) – Vietnam exported nearly 315,000 tonnes of rice as of January 28, an increase of 46 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).
The rice exports were shipped at 127 million USD in FOB value and 135 million USD in CIF value, up 39 and 42.5 percent, respectively.
According to VFA, the increase in rice exports last month was due to the fact that Vietnam ’s rice exporters had to complete government-to-government deals with the Philippines and Indonesia .
In the first quarter of this year, rice exporters have to hand over up to 1.2 million tonnes, causing rice prices to increase in the last few months.
VFA Chairman Huynh The Nang said that the rising price of domestic rice will make rice exporters stop signing new commercial contracts. The situation may improve after the winter-spring harvest.
According to the Department of Cultivation, the Mekong Delta has farmed about 1.54 million out of 1.56 million planned hectares in the winter-spring crop. Localities have harvested about 120,000 hectares with an average productivity of 6.3-6.4 tonnes per hectare.
Last year, Vietnam exported 6.5 million tonnes for 2.68 billion USD, a decrease of 3.94 percent in value. Asian countries were the main buyers, accounting for 74.5 percent of exports, followed by Africa (13.77 percent), and the US (6.72 percent).
The Vietnam Food Association forecast that rice export volume this year excluding border trade is expected to remain the same as last year's.-VNA
