Tuoi Tre Newspaper organizes workshop on Building national brand for Vietnamese rice

From left: Secretary of Soc Trang Provincial Party Committee Lam Van Man, journalist Tran Xuan Toan and Mr. Tran Khac Tam - Chairman of Soc Trang Provincial Business Association discussed before the workshop on December 10, 2024 - Photo: QUANG DINH

On December 10, in Soc Trang City, Tuoi Tre Newspaper coordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the People's Committee of Soc Trang Province to organize a workshop on Building a national brand for Vietnamese rice.

This is an important event in the context of Vietnam's rice industry achieving impressive export achievements.

Soc Trang Provincial Party Secretary Lam Van Man and journalist Tran Xuan Toan talk with Mr. Koji Takeuchi, CEO of Yamabun Farm (Japan) - Photo: QUANG DINH

The program was attended by more than 150 delegates representing state management agencies, industry associations and businesses.

On the side of the leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, there were Mr. Le Thanh Hoa - Deputy Director of the Department of Processing and Market Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development); Mr. Nguyen Van Bay - Deputy Director of the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology); Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam - Deputy Director General of the General Department of Market Management (Ministry of Industry and Trade).

On the side of domestic and international experts, there were Mr. Sakda Sinives - professional consultant of AS Power Green Co., Ltd; Mr. Koji Takeuchi - CEO of Yamabun farm (Japan); Ms. Phoebe Ricarte - expert from the Philippines.

On the domestic expert side, there were Dr. Tran Huu Hiep - economic expert; Mr. Nguyen Phuong Lam - Director of the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry - Mekong Delta Branch; Dr. Vo Hung Dung - former Director of the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry - Mekong Delta Branch; Dr. Dang Kieu Nhan - Director of the Mekong Delta Development Research Institute; Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Sanh - former Director, former Mekong Delta Development Research Institute; Hero of Labor, engineer Ho Quang Cua.

More than 150 guests including businessmen, experts and leaders attended the workshop - Photo: QUANG DINH

With a population of 100 million, the demand for rice in the Vietnamese market is huge - Photo: QUANG DINH

On the side of local leaders of Soc Trang province, there were Mr. Lam Van Man - member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of Soc Trang Provincial Party Committee, Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Soc Trang province; Mr. Vuong Quoc Nam - Vice Chairman of Soc Trang Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Huynh Ngoc Nha - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Trang province.

With leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Department of Industry and Trade, Market Management Department, Department of Science and Technology: Long An, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, An Giang, Kien Giang, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and Can Tho.

Representatives of enterprises and cooperatives of localities in the Mekong Delta.

“The time to build a national brand for Vietnamese rice is near”

Journalist Tran Xuan Toan, deputy editor-in-chief of Tuoi Tre newspaper - Photo: QUANG DINH

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, journalist Tran Xuan Toan, deputy editor-in-chief of Tuoi Tre newspaper, told a story about his own experience when going to Xom Chieu market (District 4, Ho Chi Minh City). When asking a rice vendor at this market which type of rice sells the most and has the highest price, he was told that for about two years now, ST rice has “beaten” other types of rice, and only collective kitchens buy “free rice” (not packed in hard bags but weighed according to the needs of the buyer).

According to journalist Tran Xuan Toan, Ho Chi Minh City has a population of 13 million people, the demand for rice in the market is extremely large. In a broader perspective, Vietnam has a population of 100 million people, the demand for rice in the market is much larger.

“Consumer demand has changed over the years. Consumers have shifted towards consuming quality rice instead of quantity. And looking at the world, looking at Vietnam’s export figures in recent years, we can see that quality rice is in great demand.

In the first 11 months of 2024, Vietnam exported 8.5 million tons of rice, with a turnover of more than 5.3 billion USD, up 11% and 25% respectively over the same period in 2023.

That shows that the market demand for rice is huge, especially high quality. The opportunity, the time to build a national rice brand is near. This is a huge opportunity," he said.

In neighboring countries, Thailand has Hom Mali rice, India has Basmati rice, Japan has Japonica rice. When talking about a country, it is important to identify the famous rice of that country. “Tuoi Tre is a media agency. We see our mission as joining hands to build a national rice brand. When talking about Vietnam, which rice brand do domestic and international consumers think of, which rice brand is an extremely challenging issue,” journalist Tran Xuan Toan shared the context of the conference.

Consumer tastes change, the way rice is made also needs to change

Mr. Vuong Quoc Nam - Vice Chairman of Soc Trang Provincial People's Committee - welcomed guests to the conference - Photo: QUANG DINH

Talking about the significance of the workshop “Building a national brand for Vietnamese rice”, Mr. Vuong Quoc Nam – Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Soc Trang province, said that this is a very important event, contributing to promoting the rice brand, especially in the context that the Western provinces are implementing the Project on sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta region by 2030 .

Mr. Nam added that in recent years, Soc Trang has had a policy of promoting the restructuring of agricultural production towards increasing added value and adapting to climate change. The rice industry is identified as one of the province's key products. In particular, the rice industry has gradually improved its quality and economic efficiency, increasing income for rice farmers.

The highlight is that the proportion of specialty rice and high-quality rice accounts for over 54%. Particularly, ST24 and ST25 rice varieties account for over 18% and are ranked as “the best rice in the world” through international competitions.

Mr. Nam said that the competitive pressure in the international market is increasing for the rice industry. Many countries in the region that have advantages in rice are also gradually reopening after a period of export restrictions.

Consumer tastes in some traditional markets have also changed significantly. Many countries and consumers are not only interested in delicious, nutritious, and healthy rice products, but also require environmentally friendly rice production. This shows that Vietnam's rice industry is facing both challenges and opportunities.

According to Mr. Nam, the birth of the project "Sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030" is a new turning point, a foundation paving the way for the development of Vietnam's rice industry in a new period.

Overview of the workshop – Photo: QUANG DINH

The Workshop on Building a National Rice Brand for Vietnamese Rice is the first activity in a series of communication programs to build a Vietnamese rice brand initiated by Tuoi Tre newspaper and held from 2024 to the end of 2025 and the following years.

The program's goal is to create an open forum, calling for the active participation of leading experts, businesses and experienced managers, to make practical suggestions, contributing to building an increasingly strong Vietnamese rice brand in the international market.

* Updated by Tuoi Tre Online

There will soon be a Vietnamese rice brand

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development hopes to soon transfer the Vietnam Rice brand to management agencies to promote development and build the Vietnam Rice brand, and at the same time allow businesses to put it into use in the near future.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bao-tuoi-tre-to-chuc-hoi-thao-xay-dung-thuong-hieu-quoc-gia-cho-gao-viet-20241210101915843.htm