Rice prices rise - some rejoice, others worry.

Currently, the price of all types of rice is higher than in previous years.

Visiting several rice retailers in Dien Bien Phu City, we observed that rice prices are currently high. According to rice traders, rice prices have been continuously increasing over the past two months. To date, the price has increased by an average of 3,000 - 5,000 VND/kg compared to the beginning of the year. Some local rice varieties have seen significant increases, such as: Tam Thom at 20,000 VND/kg (up 3,000 VND/kg); Seng Cu at 35,000 VND/kg (up 5,000 VND/kg). Sticky rice (upland variety) is priced at 40,000 VND/kg (an increase of 5,000 VND/kg)... Not only rice, but the price of paddy rice (an input variety) has also increased by 2-3 thousand VND/kg compared to the same period in 2023. Specifically, the price of Bac Thom No. 7 rice ranges from 15-18 thousand VND/kg, Seng Cu rice from 18-21,000 VND/kg, and sticky rice (upland variety) from 16-20,000 VND/kg...

According to Ms. Dinh Thi Luong, a rice dealer at Nam Thanh market, retail rice prices in the province have been continuously increasing for over a month, especially for specialty rice varieties such as Tam Thom, Seng Cu, ST25, and glutinous rice. This is due to the high export prices nationwide this year, impacting the Dien Bien rice market. Rice is an essential staple food with high daily demand. In addition, floods have damaged many rice fields, affecting the province's rice yield and production.

People buy rice at Nam Thanh market in Dien Bien Phu city.

The high price of rice has brought great joy to rice farmers. Mr. Quang Van La, a farmer from Noong Het commune, Dien Bien district, shared: “This year, my family planted nearly 5,000 square ^{meters of} fragrant rice varieties, yielding about 55 quintals per hectare. Due to the impact of floods, the yield and production were affected, but in return, the price of rice has increased to its highest level in many years. We only hope that the price of rice will remain this high so that the lives of rice farmers can become more prosperous.”

According to experts, rice prices in the province have increased recently due to a sharp decrease in nationwide supply. Particularly after the recent floods, which severely damaged many rice crops in the North, the price of rice has impacted the entire country, including Dien Bien province.

In Dien Bien, heavy rains and floods have flattened and damaged hundreds of hectares of rice crops that were in the flowering and ripening stages; dozens of hectares have been completely destroyed and cannot be recovered. Therefore, yield and production have decreased compared to the previous year's crop. Specifically, the area planted with rice in the 2024 crop season reached 21,298 hectares, with a yield of only over 54 quintals/hectare (compared to nearly 60 quintals/hectare in the 2023 crop season).

Large areas of rice fields in Dien Bien district were flattened by floods, reducing yields and causing rice prices to rise.

Dien Bien district is the rice granary of the province with a total cultivated area of over 5,400 hectares for the main crop season, mainly in the basin area (over 4,000 hectares). However, floods have damaged more than 135 hectares of rice, with over 70% of the crop destroyed. The impact of typhoon No. 3 alone caused damage to nearly 360 hectares of rice, ranging from 30% to 70%.

Furthermore, heavy rains during the rice flowering stage created favorable conditions for widespread outbreaks of pests and diseases such as brown spot, leaf blight, leaf blast, and neck blast, which affected the overall yield and production of the entire district. Therefore, this year's rice yield in Dien Bien district is estimated at 60 quintals/hectare, with a projected production of 32,686 tons, 640 tons lower than planned. This has somewhat impacted rice prices in the province.

While rice farmers are happy and profitable after the harvest, rising rice prices have directly affected poor households, struggling families, and laborers.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngan, from Muong Thanh ward, Dien Bien Phu city, shared: “My family of three consumes about 10kg of rice per month. Previously, my family used to buy fragrant rice at a price of around 17,000 VND/kg, but for about a month now, the price of fragrant rice has increased significantly, affecting our living expenses. To overcome this, I have started buying paddy rice to mill myself, which is cheaper.”

Consumers check rice prices at Hoa Ba Supermarket.

For large-scale rice consumers such as communal kitchens, restaurants, and eateries, the impact of rising rice prices is quite clear.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tien, the owner of a rice restaurant in Dien Bien Phu City, said: “My restaurant usually uses fragrant tám thơm rice to cook rice. A few months ago, the price of rice was stable at 16,000 - 18,000 VND/kg, but recently it has increased to over 20,000 VND/kg. The price of rice has increased, but the selling price of meals remains the same. If we raise prices, customers will complain, or even stop coming. Therefore, we still have to maintain the current prices. If the price of rice increases too much in the future, we will have to recalculate accordingly.”

Currently, rice trading in the province is mainly concentrated in supermarkets, some businesses, and retail stores. Thanks to the proactive management of supply, the increase in rice prices has not seriously impacted trading and business.

To stabilize rice prices and ensure market supply, relevant agencies, in coordination with local authorities, are closely monitoring rice prices; strengthening inspections and controls of businesses, wholesalers, retailers, markets, and supermarkets. They are controlling supply and selling prices, preventing violations related to price listing, speculation, hoarding, and unreasonable pricing of rice. At the same time, they are intensifying supervision of rice production, circulation, and consumption to promptly prevent the transportation and trading of rice with unclear origins.

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