Japonica rice to become one of main rice varieties for export
Japonica rice is likely to become one of the main rice varieties for export of Vietnam in the coming time, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).
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This variety currently accounts for a small share of the rice export structure, but the export volume of it has grown rapidly over the past year, reaching 4.4% of the country's total rice export in 2017, said the VFA.
The association said variety and quality of Vietnam’s export rice has changed remarkably in recent years, with a dramatic growth of fragrant rice from 6.6% in 2011 to 23.5% in 2017. Shipments of sticky rice also saw the same growth during the same period.
According to VFA, this is a positive trend as export of low-grade rice will gradually reduce, replaced by high-quality rice, thus improving the efficiency of rice production and export business.
Last year, Vietnam earned US$2.6 billion from the export of 5.8 million tonnes of rice.
In 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development expects the country to export 6.5 million tonnes of rice.
