Rice exports increased in both quantity and value.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam's total rice export volume and value in the first 11 months of 2024 reached nearly 8.5 million tons with a value of 5.31 billion USD, up 10.6% in volume and 22.4% in value over the same period in 2023. The average export price of rice in the first 11 months of 2024 is estimated at 627.9 USD/ton, up 10.6% over the same period in 2023, the highest ever.
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| Rice exports in 11 months reached over 5.3 billion USD. (Photo: CT) |
Not only increasing in volume and value, in recent years, Vietnam's rice structure has continuously changed towards increasing the proportion of high-quality, high-value rice and reducing low-quality rice.
Vietnamese rice not only ensures national food security but is also famous in the international market. Vietnam has become one of the leading rice exporting countries in the world in both quantity and quality. At the world's best rice contest, Vietnamese rice has continuously been in the top 3 in recent years, of which ST25 rice has twice become the world's best rice.
However, looking at the international scale, Vietnam has not yet built a national rice brand with wide recognition, as well as lacking corporate rice brands on the world's retail shelves.
When it comes to Vietnamese rice, consumers still have no idea what kind of rice it is. While Thailand has Thai Hom Mali rice, India and Pakistan have Basmati Rice, Japan has Japonica rice, Italy has Arborio Rice, or the US has Calrose rice...
Mr. Le Thanh Hoa - Deputy Director of the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) - said that the Vietnamese rice brand has been directed by the Government to be built since 2017 and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has completed the construction of the Vietnam Rice brand certification (VietNam Rice), registered for protection under the Madrid Agreement, as well as registered for protection in 20 countries around the world such as Russia, China, Philippines... However, the promulgation of regulations on the use of the Vietnamese rice brand is facing difficulties related to the registration of legal procedures...
Specifically, to use the Vietnamese Rice certification mark, we must establish a regulation for enterprises and production cooperatives to ensure the quality of rice grains according to requirements. However, there are many different types and varieties of Vietnamese rice, so the basic legal and technical regulations require enterprises and producers to meet the regulations before being allowed to use the Vietnamese Rice certification mark. Thus, we still have to issue regulations so that the management agency can monitor the quality of rice grains. Otherwise, we cannot successfully build the Vietnamese Rice brand.
“We have built a Vietnamese Rice brand certification for ST25 rice – a type of rice that has been voted the best rice in the world twice, but to be associated with the Vietnamese Rice brand, there needs to be a monitoring process during the cultivation, harvesting, processing, and preservation processes…”, Mr. Le Thanh Hoa cited.
Need the cooperation of 3 houses
According to Mr. Le Thanh Hoa, since ST25 rice was voted the best rice in the world, many countries have known about Vietnamese rice. When it comes to Vietnamese rice, it is not only ST25 rice but also many other rice varieties. However, for Vietnamese rice to become a strong brand, market requirements are the first priority. Based on the needs and tastes of each market, we develop and build brands for each type of rice.
For example, in the Philippines market, the Northern Food Corporation (Vinafood 1) and the Southern Food Corporation (Vinafood 2) are large exporters. Therefore, it is necessary to build a brand for DT8 rice to stabilize its quality, increase its value and expand its market share in this country.
On the other hand, many Vietnamese enterprises are exporting high-quality Vietnamese rice products such as A An rice, ST25 rice... to the US and EU; Japonica rice is exported to Japan and Korea; and especially DT8 rice from Vietnam is the most popular in the Philippines.
These are branded rice varieties, but to attach these rice varieties to the Vietnamese Rice certification to bring them to the markets, the problem is not only with the state management agencies but also with the enterprises, manufacturers, and exporters themselves to help the rice grains affirm their position in the market in the countries importing Vietnamese rice.
Along with that, we must build a good process in all stages that we often call logistics for rice grains from the fields to the hands of consumers and these processes must ensure the best implementation. The "three houses" must work together to build the brand.
Which type of rice should be chosen, what should be done to make the national brand for Vietnamese rice familiar and become the top choice for consumers around the world, that is both the dream and the task of management agencies, localities, businesses and industry associations in the current period.
Vietnam has two industry associations related to rice, the Vietnam Food Association and the Vietnam Rice Industry Association. The Vietnam National Rice Brand Logo Program was established 6 years ago and the idea of a national rice council is being promoted. All are aimed at building a national brand for Vietnamese rice. From there, Vietnamese rice can be raised to be on par with the world's leading rice brands from Thailand, India, or Japan.
In order to gather opinions, ideas, contributions, and suggestions from experts, businesses, industry associations, managers, farmers, cooperatives, etc. to jointly come up with a roadmap and direction to soon successfully build a Vietnamese rice brand in the near future, on the afternoon of December 10, Tuoi Tre newspaper, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in coordination with the People's Committee of Soc Trang province, organized a workshop on "Building a national brand for Vietnamese rice". The workshop will be attended by representatives of leaders of ministries, sectors, localities in the Mekong Delta, businesses, industry associations, cooperatives, economic experts. In particular, there will be the participation of experts from the ASEAN-Japan Center (AJC), Thailand, etc. This is an important event in the context of the Vietnamese rice industry achieving impressive achievements in export. The workshop is the first activity in a series of communication programs to build Vietnamese rice brands 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. |
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