VET conference seeks solutions to boosting rice exports

Vietnam should focus on improving the quality of its rice instead of focusing on volumes to export to both traditional and new markets, Mr. Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of the Import-Export Department at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), told the annual rice conference held by the Vietnam Economic Times Group on September 19 in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

Annual rice conference held by Vietnam Economic Times Group on September 19 in Can Tho.

Entitled “Breakthrough technology to improve quality and boost the efficiency of rice production and consumption”, local and foreign experts, authorities and enterprises at the conference discussed the opportunities, challenges, and solutions for the current issues facing Vietnam’s rice industry.

The industry has posted outstanding export revenue in recent years as well as expanded into tough markets such as the US, the EU, South Korea, and Japan, according to Mr. Nguyen The Hao, Deputy Editor-in-Chief at the Vietnam Economic Times Group.

The industry has exported to 150 markets, accounting for 15 per cent of total global volumes and is ranked third in the world, according to MoIT. Export revenue in the first eight months of this year fell due to an imbalance in supply and demand, leading to a decrease in the average export price.

2019 is forecast to be a difficult year for the industry, but in the long term, Mr. Do Ha Nam, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association, said that this year is a good opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises and the industry as a whole to change the export structure and seize opportunities.

Changes to the export structure began in 2015 to boost the quality of rice to meet the demands of import markets. However, this requires a change in the process of planting and distribution and Vietnamese enterprises are still struggling with this, especially the application of technology and automation in production.

Local and foreign experts commented that technology has contributed to increasing productivity and the quality of agricultural products and researching and applying technology in the industry is a major goal.

Mr. Hai said that the enterprises that aren’t capable of investing in technology and advanced machinery should innovate their operations and train human resources as an effective solution.