Seminar discusses ways to improve rice competitiveness

A seminar was held in Hanoi on March 17 underlining changes to management institutions to improve the rice value chain and Vietnamese rice’s competitiveness.

In his remarks, Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) Nguyen Dinh Cung said the biggest challenge for the time being is to shift to quality management and enhance cooperation and linkage in the chain.

It is imperative to enhance the role of farmers’ organizations and professional organizations in the rice value chain.

Dang Quang Vinh, researcher at the CIEM, said the rice cultivation area increased quickly from 2007 and the output grew by nearly 10 million tonnes in the 2005-2015 period. Rice yield per hectare rose to 5.76 tonnes, the highest in Southeast Asia and rice export grew 14% annually on average in volume and 10% in value in the 1989-2012 period.

However, production scale was relatively small with each household having an average 0.44 hectare of land, and rice quality was low and inconsistent.

According to experts, the rice sector will face difficulties in the coming years due to small scale production which makes it hard to apply scientific and technological advances, climate change, and bad farming practices such as the excessive use of chemicals.

They noted that in order to improve the value of rice production, it is essential to clarify the right of property ownership, which will serve as the foundation for other activities such as investment, the development of an agricultural land market, and land accumulation for large-scale production.

Additionally, a major focus should be placed on quality, productivity and farmers’ income instead of quantity and supply.