The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) will continue to strictly manage rice exports through international border gates, said an official.

Packing rice for export (Photo: VNA) 

Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of the MoIT’s Export-Import Department, said at the ministry’s regular press conference on May 15 that although rice is a key export staple, it is a must to ensure the country's food security.

The ministry will also coordinate with competent forces to increase inspections in order to prevent rice smuggling across borders, he said.

Statistics showed that Vietnam shipped abroad 2.1 million tonnes of rice valued at US$991 million in the first four months of this year, up 1.1 % in volume and 4.1 % in value.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has agreed with the MoIT’s proposal to resume rice exports from May 1, in accordance with Decree 107/2018/ND-CP on rice exports.

In implementing the PM’s instructions regarding rice exports in the time ahead, the ministry has asked cities and provinces to supervise businesses’ ensuring circulated reserves at at least 5 % of the total rice export volume, Hai told the Vietnam News Agency.

In addition, the ministry has urged the 20 biggest rice exporters to sign agreements with at least a supermarket system to ensure food reserves for circulation.

The MoIT will continue its close coordination with other ministries, agencies, localities and the Vietnam Food Association to implement solutions to facilitate rice exports in terms of procedures, logistics and credit.

Notably, it will keep a close watch on the developments of domestic and global rice demand-supply and forecast actions to be taken by the world’s major importers and exporters, as well as the developments of diseases and natural disasters. Relevant reports will be submitted to the PM for decision making.

According to the MoIT, the country is projected to harvest 43.5 million tonnes of paddy this year, nearly 30 million tonnes of which is expected to be used for domestic consumption, and the rest for export.