Rice exports to the Philippines have increased sharply as the country has lifted quotas since the beginning of the year. However, Vietnamese farmers have not received big benefits.

Vietnam Rice, the national rice brand, was made public in late 2018. However, no export company has been given the right to use the brand.

In 2018, Vietnam’s total rice exports reached 6.15 million tonnes, with export turnover of 3.15 billion USD. The industry saw a 5.7 percent increase in volume and a 19.6 percent increase in value compared to 2017. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam is trying to re-position itself as an exporter of high-quality rice instead of low-quality white rice. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Instead of buying Vietnam’s rice at just VND10,000 per kilo, Vietnamese are willing to pay higher to buy rice from Thailand or Japan.

VietNamNet Bridge - Decree 109 dated in 2010, described as a significant barrier to rice exports, will be amended by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT). 

VietNamNet Bridge - Rice exporters complain they have to satisfy many requirements and pay under-the-table money to obtain a license to export rice.

VietNamNet Bridge - The government has approved a plan to develop a national rice brand by 2020, aiming to improve marketing capability and competitiveness.

VietNamNet Bridge - Contrary to optimistic forecasts given earlier this year, rice exports have plunged recently. The total export volume would be less than 5 million tons in 2016, a record low since 2009.

VietNamNet Bridge - China's plan to get involved in Cambodia's rice development strategy is a bad sign for Vietnam.

VietNamNet Bridge - Experts have called on Vietnamese leaders to rethink whether Vietnam should become a big rice exporter or fruit export power.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is seeking to create measures to tackle falling exports of major farm products, to assure it reaches its goal of US$30 billion in export revenues of the agro-forestry-fishery sector for 2016.

VietNamNet Bridge - Experts have urged changing the rice export strategy: instead of growing high-yield rice and exporting rice in large quantities, it should focus on exporting high-quality products at high prices and building a national brand.

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The government has decided that Vinafood 1, together with Vinafood 2, will be the two leads to conduct negotiations and make direct transactions with highly concentrated rice markets (where there are few exporters of rice).

 VietNamNet Bridge – Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan has denied an allegation that the Viet Nam Southern Food Corporation bribed to a Filipino official to win a contract to sell 800,000 tonnes of rice.

Despite accusations that Vinafood 2 bribed Filipino officials in exchange for the right to export 800,000 tons of rice to the Philippines, no proof has yet been offered. The watchdog agency has affirmed that Vinafood 2 is innocent of any wrongdoing.

 Vietnam Southern Food Corporation (Vinafood 2) has rejected a news report that the firm had bribed a Filipino official to win a government-to-government rice export contract in April.