Vietnam Jan-May rice exports up 12.2% y/y to 3.09 mln tonnes: customs

HANOI - Vietnam exported 3.09 million tonnes of rice in the first five months of this year, up 12.2% from a year earlier, official customs data released on Thursday showed.

Farmers plant rice on a paddy in Vietnam's northern Phu Tho province, outside Hanoi, February 21, 2016. Photo: Reuters

Rice export revenue in the January-May period rose 26.8% from a year earlier to $1.5 billion, the Customs Department said in a statement.

Rice exports in May rose 87% from April to 953,950 tonnes, the department said.

Vietnam, the world’s third largest rice exporter, briefly banned the shipment of the grain in March and limited the shipment at 500,000 tonnes in April to ensure food security amid the coronavirus outbreak.