HCMC – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved the resumption of rice exports, with a volume of 400,000 tons of rice this month.
Following this decision, the Import-Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade said it will issue a circular on rice export quotas for April. Exporters should register for rice exports at customs agencies.
To ensure the nation’s food security amid the coronavirus outbreak, the prime minister asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to collaborate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to monitor rice exports.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade should submit the rice export plan for May, as well as for the entire year, in case the coronavirus pandemic continues beyond April 25.
The Ministry of Finance is in charge of controlling the rice export volume and has been asked to urgently purchase 190,000 tons of rice or more to be placed in reserve this year.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is responsible for helping localities boost agricultural production to meet domestic and export demands.
Earlier, the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed stopping the export of rice until the end of May to ensure the nation’s food security at a meeting of the Government on March 23, and the prime minister approved the proposal. But one day later, the ministry asked the Government to resume rice exports, as the sudden suspension of rice exports caused problems for rice exporters and traders.
In a report sent to the prime minister on April 6, the ministry proposed exporting 800,000 tons of rice in April and May.
