Prime Minister directs the promotion of sustainable rice production and export

DNHN - The Prime Minister has issued directives to ensure healthy, transparent rice production, business and export activities, and flexible and timely response to market fluctuations, aiming for sustainable and highly effective rice industry development.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has just signed Directive No. 10/CT-TTg dated March 2, 2024, on promoting sustainable, transparent and effective rice production, business and export in the new situation.

Accordingly, to ensure healthy, transparent rice production, business and export activities, and flexible and timely response to market fluctuations, aiming for sustainable and highly effective rice industry development, and increasing income for rice farmers, the Prime Minister requests the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to direct localities in the Mekong Delta region to harvest the Winter-Spring rice crop on schedule, minimising post-harvest losses; promptly direct the organisation of the Summer-Autumn crop; preside over and coordinate with localities and industry associations to closely monitor the situation, promptly provide sufficient and accurate information on the rice market developments so that people and businesses can plan appropriate production and business activities, ensuring the supply for domestic consumption and export, and stabilising market prices.

Focus on effectively implementing the Project “Sustainable development of one million hectares of high-quality and low-emission specialised rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong River Delta by 2030”.

Direct the acceleration of the establishment and replication of linkage models for product consumption to ensure the harmonisation of interests between people and businesses; coordinate with the Ministers and Heads of relevant ministries and sectors to direct, guide, and urge localities to effectively implement Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW dated June 16, 2022, of the 13th Party Central Committee on continuing to innovate, develop, and improve the efficiency of the collective economy in the new period; Decision No. 1804/QD-TTg dated November 13, 2020, of the Prime Minister on the Programme to support the development of the collective economy and cooperatives in the 2021-2025 period.

Preside over and coordinate with the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance to implement solutions to enhance the capacity of agricultural cooperatives in organising production, providing input services, and consuming rice; promote training to equip farmers with knowledge about the market, agricultural business, mindset transformation, and the application of scientific advances in agricultural production, processing, and business; complete the system of legal documents on the management of the quality of input materials for rice production, especially seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, machinery, and equipment.

At the same time, coordinate with the Minister of Industry and Trade and the Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association to constantly monitor the developments of the regional and global rice market; promote negotiations and remove technical barriers to expand Vietnam’s rice export market.

The Prime Minister requests the Minister of Industry and Trade to preside over the acceleration of the implementation of tasks and solutions to realise the “Strategy for the development of Vietnam’s rice export market to 2030”; and closely monitor the global rice market and trade situation, the dynamics of rice-producing and exporting countries, and promptly inform the ministries, sectors, Vietnam Food Association, and rice export traders to proactively regulate rice production, business, and export activities, ensuring suitability and efficiency, contributing to ensuring national food security.

Urgently complete and submit to the Government a draft Decree amending and supplementing Decree No. 107/2018/ND-CP dated August 15, 2018, of the Government on rice export business, creating a public, transparent, fair, and favourable business environment, and ensuring the legitimate interests of rice farmers, maintaining the reputation of Vietnamese rice; study the streamlining of rice export channels, ensuring healthy competition but not too dispersed, the business efficiency, and reputation of Vietnamese rice.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and localities to study and pilot models to bring “traders” into the value chain of the rice industry, both to promote their role as a bridge between people and businesses and to limit potential risks for parties involved in the value chain.

The Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam directs commercial banks to facilitate people and businesses in accessing credit sources with preferential interest rates, meeting sufficient credit demand for rice purchasing and rice export, especially the purchase of Winter-Spring 2023-2024 rice in the Mekong River Delta provinces. Study and propose to the competent authority to consider issuing a Credit Programme to support the linkage of production, processing, and consumption of high-quality and low-emission rice products in the Mekong River Delta between cooperatives and enterprises following legal regulations.

The Chairmen of the People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities shall resolutely direct the effective implementation of the Project “Sustainable development of one million hectares of high-quality and low-emission specialised rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong River Delta by 2030”; organise rice production in each crop; direct local authorities to monitor and grasp information and developments in rice purchasing in the area to promptly have appropriate solutions and provide them to relevant ministries and sectors to serve the management of rice production and export nationwide.

The Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association shall enhance monitoring, updating, forecasting, and providing information on the developments of rice production and the domestic and global rice market to relevant ministries, sectors, and enterprises; encourage enterprises in the Association to actively participate in the Project “Sustainable development of one million hectares of high-quality and low-emission specialised rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong River Delta by 2030” and the linkage models of production and product consumption.

The Chairmen and General Directors of the Northern Food Corporation, the Southern Food Corporation, and rice export traders: strictly implement the regime of periodic and ad-hoc reporting and circulating reserves as prescribed in Decree No. 107/2018/ND-CP;

Have solutions to promote the development of production linkages, build raw material areas, and implement solutions for traceability; proactively monitor the global rice trade situation, the dynamics of exporting countries, and the consumption demand of importing countries, calculate business plans to ensure the harmonisation of national interests, enterprises, and producers; develop specific plans to improve production and business capacity gradually;

Focus on training and fostering skills in grasping and exploiting market information, negotiating, signing contracts, and handling trade disputes. Proactively participate in the Project “Sustainable development of one million hectares of high-quality and low-emission specialised rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong River Delta by 2030” and the linkage models of production and product consumption.

P.V