A new boost for Vietnam's rice exports.

VTV.vn - 7.2 million tons, a value of 3.7 billion USD, an average price of 511 USD/ton - these are the figures for Vietnam's rice exports in the first 10 months of this year.

Trends in importing high-quality rice

Vietnam's Ong Cua ST25 rice has been honored for the third time as " World 's Best Rice" at the World's Best Rice 2025 competition, held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This continued recognition of the world's highest quality rice affirms the superior quality of Vietnamese rice. This is seen as a golden opportunity for Vietnamese farmers and the rice industry to make a breakthrough.

After a period of stagnation due to shrinking import markets and sharply falling prices, rice exporters are pinning their hopes on a special factor: ST25 – the "star" of Vietnamese rice. This rice variety has just been named the best in the world, helping the Vietnamese rice brand once again gain attention on the international stage.

Mr. Pham Thai Binh , Chairman of Trung An Company, said: "This is a great achievement for the Vietnamese rice industry in general and especially for engineer Ho Quang Cua. He is the creator of the ST25 variety and has brought honor to the Vietnamese rice industry."

According to businesses, the current challenges are the scale of raw material sourcing and quality control. Demand from the high-end market requires very strict standards. If a sustainable production chain can be built, ST25 will be the driving force pulling the entire industry forward.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh - Director of Phuoc Thanh IV Company shared: "ST25 currently has many markets around the world. My company has many customers in Europe, the UK, and China. ST25 grown in rice-shrimp farming areas is almost never enough to meet demand."

Although ST25 is gaining significant popularity, experts and businesses believe that relying solely on one rice variety is unsustainable. Market trends demand that Vietnam develop multiple product lines simultaneously: from premium fragrant rice varieties like ST24 and Dai Thom 8, to varieties suitable for the African, Middle Eastern, and Asian markets. Diversifying varieties and raising quality standards will help the rice industry be more proactive in the face of market fluctuations, while also ensuring a stable supply for long-term contracts.

7.2 million tons, a value of 3.7 billion USD, and an average price of 511 USD/ton – these are the figures for Vietnam's rice exports in the first 10 months of this year. These numbers not only reflect stable market demand but also demonstrate a significant shift in the quality of Vietnamese rice. This also serves as a direction for the rice industry to develop and leverage the advantages of Vietnam's high-quality rice.

Instead of focusing on medium-grade rice, the export structure is clearly shifting towards fragrant rice, Japonica rice, and especially rice produced using low-emission processes. The advantage of fragrant and high-quality rice, favored in high-end markets such as the EU, the US, and Japan, is a significant benefit for Vietnamese rice. Furthermore, free trade agreements, along with production support policies such as restructuring production and ensuring a stable domestic supply, are creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese rice exports.

The shift from "exporting in bulk" to "exporting in value" is creating a clear competitive advantage for Vietnamese rice.

Vietnamese rice targets the premium segment.

In the strategy for developing high-quality rice, the government's ongoing project to cultivate 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice is considered a crucial foundation. The project standardizes the process from seed selection and cultivation to harvesting, while simultaneously creating concentrated, uniform raw material areas – a mandatory condition for entering high-end markets.

The shift from "high-volume exports" to "high-value exports" is creating a clear competitive advantage for Vietnamese rice. This is also a trend that many businesses are pursuing. Even when the country's overall rice exports experience a sharp decline in value and revenue, high-quality rice, low-emission rice, and deeply processed products still create new competitive advantages.

Mr. Do Ha Nam, Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association, stated: "Productivity is not the ultimate deciding factor; rather, it's the price and sustainability of our products that matter. Prioritizing the development of specialized raw material production areas and investing in areas implementing green agricultural standards are goals set by the agricultural sector and global consumer demand."

To increase the value of rice exports, it's not only necessary to have high-quality raw material areas, but businesses also need to improve technology, invest in deeply processed products, and target the high-end segment.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nhut, Director of Hoang Minh Nhat Joint Stock Company in Can Tho City, said: "It can be said that over a long period, the Vietnamese rice production industry has improved, especially in hybrid breeding technology, creating many high-quality rice varieties that meet market demands."

Vietnamese rice is targeting the premium segment, but the challenge lies in maintaining sustainable quality and linking the value chain. With the efforts of farmers and businesses, Vietnamese rice is asserting its position in the international market.

Source: https://vtv.vn/cu-hich-moi-cho-xuat-khau-gao-viet-100251120121329161.htm