CAN THO – The cost of rice production in the Mekong Delta, which is the country’s biggest rice producing region, reached VND3,713 per kilogram in the 2021 summer-autumn season, the highest since 2018.
According to the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the average rice production cost in the 2021 summer-autumn season in the Mekong Delta rose by VND222, VND156 and VND64 per kilogram compared with the same period of 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Seeding and soil tillage account for 9-10% and 5-6% of the rice production cost, respectively. Meanwhile, fertilizers and pesticides account for 21-24% and 15-17% of the production cost, respectively.
Other factors that affect the cost of rice production include harvest, transport, package and labor. Prices of fertilizers, which account for the largest proportion of rice production cost, have soared since the beginning of this year.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said this is one of the main reasons that the rice production cost in the 2021 summer-autumn season in the Mekong Delta rose to the highest level since 2018.
While the rice production cost has risen significantly, the export price of Vietnam’s 5% broken rice fell to US$385 per ton in August, down US$100 per ton against the same period last year and the lowest since February 2020, according to the Vietnam Food Association.
Some rice exporters in Can Tho City and Tien Giang and An Giang provinces said the complicated Covid-19 situation forced many rice mills in the Mekong Delta to close down.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has established a special team to monitor the harvest, trade and consumption of farm produce, including rice, in southern Vietnam.
