ZCZC
BCN-08
VIETNAM-RICE-EXPORT
Vietnam’s rice export surges in 2017
HANOI, Jan 2, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) — Vietnam exported roughly 5.9 million
tons of rice worth nearly 2.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, posting
respective year-on-year rises of 20.5 percent and 20.8 percent.
Of the rice volume, nearly 40 percent went to China, and 9.3 percent to
the Philippines, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs on
Tuesday.
Vietnam is likely to export 6.3 million tons of rice in 2018, mainly due
to high demand from the Southeast Asian market, especially the Philippines,
local traders predicted.
Vietnam’s paddy rice-growing area was over 7.7 million hectares in 2017,
down 26,100 hectares against 2016, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development.
As a result, the country’s paddy rice output dropped for the first time
over the past 20 years to 42.8 million tons in 2017.
BSS/Xinhua/MR/ 1436hrs