Vinh Long province in the Mekong Delta region has played host to a scientific workshop as part of a wide range of activities during the fourth Vietnam Rice Festival which is currently underway in the locality.

At the event 

Curently, the Mekong Delta region is home to a total area of approximately 2 million hectares of paddy and has an annual cultivation area of over 4 million hectares.

Paddy output stands at an estimated 25 million tonnes, of which 50 per cent is put up for exports, in addition to a rice output of roughly 6 million tonnes.

The first nine months of the year saw the Mekong Delta region export over 5 million tonnes of rice, representing an increase of 4 per cent, whilst turnover reached over US$2 billion, a drop of over 10 per cent in export value.

Delegates in attendance at the workshop attributed the simultaneous increase in rice volume and fall in value to the inconsistent quality of domestic rice which leads to hindrances when trying to penetrate the European, American, and Japanese markets.

According to Dr. Nguyen Quoc Toan, Director of the Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, contemporary consumers now seek high-quality rice, with things such as organic rice and specialty rice proving to be increasing popular.

Dr. Toan therefore advised domestic firms to strengthen connectivity with farmers as a means of providing rice products suitable for these markets.

Participants also noted that the poor quality of local rice is partially due to the outdated equipment, processing technology, and a lack of linkage between farmers and enterprises.

They underlined the urgent need to overcome obstacles which stand in the way of improving the overall quality of Vietnamese rice in the coming time.