The fourth Vietnam Rice Festival will take place in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long on December 13-19 with a view to promoting agro-economy and rice trade in domestic and foreign markets.

A rice field in the Mekong Delta 

The information was revealed by Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade Truong Thanh Su at a press conference in Vinh Long on November 12.

A series of activities will be held at the festival, including a trade fair with 800-1,000 pavilions, a rice cooking contest, and an art photography competition on the theme of rice fields and rice cultivation.

Workshops on important issues related to agricultural development will also be held as part of the event, focusing on legal framework and policies for agricultural cooperatives, agricultural vocational training, conditions for developing agro-economy and rural areas, support for rice growers, and investment in processing and trading farm produce.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Vietnam Farmer’s Union will jointly organise a ceremony to honour outstanding individuals and collectives in implementing the target of developing 15,000 effective cooperatives and associations of agricultural cooperatives.

In the first 10 months of 2019, Vietnam exported 5.56 million tonnes of rice worth 2.43 billion USD, up 6.1 percent in volume but down 9.1 percent in value year-on-year.