2011 continues to be a successful year for Vietnam’s rice exports in both volumes and revenues. Farmers have made record profits from rice cultivation, and during the final months of this year, Vietnam has signed additional contracts to export rice. With such positive indicators, Vietnam is poised to export 7 million tons for this year.

The Vietnam Food Association reports that domestic enterprises have shipped more than 6.5 million tons of rice abroad since the beginning of the year, earning nearly 3.3 billion dollars. The average price approached 490 dollars per ton, up 12% over last year, while the volume of rice exports this month is expected to reach 400,000 tons. These figures suggest that Vietnam will fulfill its goal of exporting 7 million tons this year. The Ministry of Industry and Trade attributes the success to bumper crops and high export prices. Nguyen Ngoc Tri, Head of the Cultivation Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, says that despite these achievements, there are still major challenges facing rice production. He attributed the fact to 'Our cultivation areas remain scattered and small-scale. Another factor is small per-capita farming land'.

To reach its potential, Vietnamese rice needs a competitive brand, along with improved management, a warehouse system for stockpiling, and a capacity to forecast market changes, according to Le Van Banh, Director of the Mekong Delta Rice Research Institute. He clarified: 'Recently, farmers have stockpiled rice by themselves, but due to a lack of appropriate storage techniques and facilities, they sold it in various forms, so stockpiling should be the work of the Government. Whenever enterprises need rice for exports, the government will conduct auction sales. This way, farmers can feel secure'.

To produce rice sustainably, an agricultural roadmap and application of advanced production standards on a large scale are required. Professor Vo Tong Xuan - an agriculture expert - said 'We need to develop a master-plan for material zones, introduce new rice varieties and apply modern production standards such as the Global Good Agricultural Practices or the Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices. This will help regain the prestige of Vietnamese rice'.

Over the past decade, Vietnam has ranked 2nd in the world in rice exports. Rice production has not only ensured national food security, balanced supply and demand, and stabilized domestic prices, but become a major hard currency earner.

To Tuan