Vietnam would continue to be world’s second largest rice exporter: US department

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has forecast that Vietnam would maintain its position as the world’s second biggest rice exporter this year.

According to the department, Vietnam will export 6.4 million tonnes of rice in 2011, an increase of 233,000 tonnes compared the volume recorded in the previous year.

It is likely that India will remain the largest rice exporter in the world, with 15.5 million tonnes rice shipped abroad this year. Thailand will rank third with an estimated export volume of 6.1 million tonnes.

Last year, Vietnam shipped abroad 6.15 million tonnes of rice worth 3.07 billion USD, down 3.5 percent in volume but up 9.3 percent in value year-on-year.

Statistics show that in the first four months of this year, the country exported 1.89 million tonnes of rice, down 10.8 percent in volume but up 1.2 percent in value over the same period last year.

The Vietnam Food Association said Vietnam’s rice export structure has shifted towards quality types with higher prices and added values./.