Vietnam Southern Food Corporation's workers load rice pallets at Saigon Port, HCM City (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Following recent criticism of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has reduced the association’s power, with further plans to promote fairness in rice exports. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan affirmed that the VFA should no longer be able to allocate rice quotas among domestic firms and Decree 109 regulating the country’s rice exports must be amended to facilitate the change. So far, the decree dictates that the VFA can only allocate rice export quotas under centralised contracts on the basis of agreements between Vietnam and importing countries. But since 2017, the association has chosen to focus more on auctioning off these quotas as a separate enterprise seeking its own profits instead of as a representative of rice producers. As a matter of fact, … [Read more...] about Vietnam Food Association risks losing rice monopoly
Vietnam food association
Vietnam Food Association forecasts decline in rice exports
Vietnam Food Association envisages many difficulties and challenges for the country's rice exports in the coming year. According to the association, Vietnam will face serious competition from Myanmar and Thailand in 2013. Besides this, some countries are expected to reduce import of rice. Indonesia said that they might not import rice at all or may minimize the volume because of excess stock at hand, having purchased 1.7 million tons this year. Malaysia also has rice in stock and will not import in the first quarter. China too has signed an agreement to buy rice from Thailand, which will be a serious loss as at the moment China is the biggest exporter of rice from Vietnam. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is planning to buy rice for stockpile during the winter spring crop and will submit the plan to the Government for approval. The ministry has also asked provinces in the Mekong Delta to reduce rice cultivation area in the next summer-autumn … [Read more...] about Vietnam Food Association forecasts decline in rice exports
Food association advises rice exporters against price cuts
The Vietnam Food Association has asked local rice exporters not to cut their prices as supplies of the grain on the world market are lower than expected. Vietnam exported 5.4 million tons of rice in the first nine months … [Read more...] about Food association advises rice exporters against price cuts
Food association wants solution to rice woes
The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) petitioned the Government to waive export tariffs or readjust the taxes for rice mainly due to decreasing prices of goods in the local and global markets, causing great losses to farmers. The price of rice in July dropped unexpectedly to US$600-$700 per tonne from $1,100-$1,200 per tonne in April and May, according to the VFA. International experts attributed the shrinking rice price to the fact that many nations in the world managed to expand rice plantation to cope with the pricing storm of agricultural products, thus supply has recently become redundant. To guarantee food security in the context of galloping inflation in the country, the Government earlier this year set quotas for rice exports, and until last month, further issued a decision to set high export tariffs on rice. Under last month's decision, this was the first time the grain had been subject to an excise (export) tax. Particularly, rice will be taxed at eight levels, calculated on … [Read more...] about Food association wants solution to rice woes
Vietnam business associations failing their members: survey
Business associations in Vietnam are too weak to protect or support their members, a recent survey has found. The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), which conducted a survey of this kind for the first time, assessed 78 out of around 400 business associations based on five criteria - development strategies and management capabilities, financial and facility status, the ability to attract members, the ability to influence government policies, and the ability to develop a business community. Dau Anh Tuan, deputy head of the chamber's legal department, said the results did not portray a bright picture. "Most associations ranged at basic or fairly good levels. Few scored high." A basic requirement for business associations was the need to master domestic and foreign laws and policies to apprise their members about their rights, responsibilities, and interests, Tuan said. But most of the associations - 36 percent of the surveyed ones were national and the rest city and … [Read more...] about Vietnam business associations failing their members: survey