Most rice production and processing plants are located on riversides, and as a result, about 95 percent of rice produced in the Delta is carried by water.

The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang will grow only two rice crops a year in coastal districts and Go Cong Town to mitigate the impact of saltwater intrusion and drought.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has asked the Government to resume rice exports. However, the export volume would be limited at 800,000 tonnes for April and May.

While most farm export items met with difficulties in the first months of the year, rice exports unexpectedly soared as the world increased its reserves.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has called on provinces in the south-central coastal and Central Highlands regions to take measures to minimise the impacts of drought on summer-autumn crops.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam government on November 27 gave its full backing to a proposed the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) technical assistance package,

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam is a top global producer of many agricultural products, but the farmers don’t pocket as much money as people think.

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 VietNamNet Bridge – The rice price in the domestic market has been increasing sharply, which may lead to losses for exporters if they bid for the contract to provide 500,000 tons of rice to the Philippines.

Vietnam is the world’s second largest exporter of rice and 80 percent of it is grown in the Mekong Delta. But farmers here say the future of rice production is now threatened because of rising sea levels and temperature increases.

The unexpectedly successful results of agriculture projects implemented under the mode of PPP (private public partnership) have raised high hopes that foreign direct investment  capital in agriculture may witness a boom in the time to come.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Being the biggest rice exporter in the world, Vietnam’s rice production faces high risks: it imports rice varieties, fertilizer from China and exports big amounts of products to the country.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The rice demand is increasing in the world market, but Vietnamese farmers have sold out their third-crop rice. Exporters don’t have rice to sell while the Filipino government has opened an invitation for bids.

Given that all the stages of the agricultural production chain are "problematic," from policy to farmers and enterprises to export markets, Professor Vo Tong Xuan discuss solutions to restructure it.

VietNamNet Bridge – Changing crops very offent and being disorganized is a vicious cycle that erodes the strength and capital of farmer families, said Prof. Vo Tong Xuan.