Vietnam expects to export about 1.3 -1.4 million tonnes of rice in May and June, raising total rice exports in the first six months of this year to 3.3 million tonnes.

The figures were released by the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) at a meeting held in the southern province of Can Tho on May 6 to review operations in the field during the last four months and to draw up plans for exporting rice in the next two months.

However, the figures are 300,000 to 350,000 lower than that the same period last year and also less than the amount in the contracts Vietnam has signed with foreign partners.

According to VFA, the global demand for rice is still dropping due to the devaluation of the Euro, rice stockpiles in African countries and low purchasing power.

On the bright side, the price of rice for export in South America and several Asian countries like Thailand and China is still higher than in Vietnam.

In the first four months of this year, Vietnam shipped 1.978 million tonnes of rice at an average price of US$466.95 per tonne, a year-on-year increase of US$59.53 per tonne. Of the total, about 75 percent has been purchased by Asian countries and over 13 percent is exported to Africa.

VNA