Farmers harvest rice in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang. The export price of Vietnam’s 5% broken rice has plunged to its lowest in 18 months. - Photo: VNA

Similarly, export prices of India’s 5% broken rice have dropped to US$352-356 per ton, down US$29-31 per ton from early July due to low demand from the global market.

Some rice exporters in Can Tho, Tien Giang and An Giang provinces said the complicated Covid-19 situation has forced many rice mills in the Mekong Delta, which is the country’s biggest rice production region, to close down. 

A leader of Trung An Hi-Tech Farming Joint Stock Company said the company received orders to export rice to South Korea in mid-August. However, it had to request the partners to delay shipments after the southern localities decided to tighten social distancing measures. 

Truong Minh Tam, acting director of the Tan Phat Import Export Commercial One Member Company Limited, which has a rice mill in Lap Vo District, Dong Thap Province, said the company has signed contracts to export 20,000 tons of rice and needs a large number of laborers to fulfill the orders.

However, the company’s workforce has shrunk by half due to stringent social distancing measures.

Moreover, logistics costs have increased by some VND200 per kilogram of rice, equivalent to nearly 2% of rice prices.

Tam said the company is trying to fulfill existing orders but is hesitating to receive new ones due to the shortage of human resources and increasing production costs, let alone difficulties in transportation. 

Le Minh Hoan, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the ministry has established a special team led by a deputy minister to monitor the harvest, trade and consumption of farm produce, including rice, in the South.

The ministry is also working with the localities to help rice traders ride out difficulties. 

Source: SGT

Vietnam likely to rank third in global rice exports in 2022

Vietnam is anticipated to become the world’s third largest rice exporter next year with an estimated export volume reaching 6.3 million tonnes, according to the projection made by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Precious 'super-organic' rice produced from formerly 'dead' fields

In the world today, there is no rice variety that reaches all 545 quality criteria like Quang Tri organic rice. Two compounds found in this variety are considered highly valuable.