Reasons why retail rice prices have fallen but there are few buyers.

Việt Nam•20/02/2025

Since the beginning of 2025, the price of paddy and exported rice has plummeted, falling by 40-50% compared to last year. However, domestic retail rice prices remain high. In recent days, retail rice prices in Ho Chi Minh City have started to decrease slightly by about 1,000-2,000 VND/kg, but there are very few buyers.

At noon on February 20th, in the area near Hoa Binh Market (District 5), (Ho Chi Minh City), many business stalls Customers for rice and sticky rice are scarce. A rice vendor here said that in the past few days, rice prices Retail prices for all types of produce have decreased by 1,000-2,000 VND/kg, but customers are buying very little.

Here, fragrant jasmine rice, fluffy broken rice, and fragrant broken rice are the cheapest at 18,000 VND/kg; soft-cooked rice is 19,000 VND/kg; Nang Hoa rice is 22,000 VND/kg; and fragrant jasmine rice is 25,000 VND/kg…

Retail rice prices in Ho Chi Minh City have decreased slightly, despite the current sharp drop in export rice prices.

Regarding the reason "The price has dropped," this person said, "because the rice supplier has reduced the price, so the retail price has also decreased."

Thuy Dung's rice stall (Ba Chieu Market, Binh Thanh District) also displays dozens of types of rice waiting for customers, each type reduced by 2,000 VND/kg. "Because prices have been changing constantly recently, we are keeping the same listed prices as during Tet (Lunar New Year), and customers will be notified." discount "2,000 VND/kg above the listed price," said the rice stall owner.

After the price reduction, the price of rice at Thuy Dung's stall is around 18,000 - 20,000 VND/kg, including fragrant rice varieties such as Dai Thom rice, So Ri rice, Tam Xoan Hai Hau rice, and Nang Thom Cho Dao rice…

According to a survey by Tien Phong newspaper, rice prices have mostly decreased in the mid-range segment, while premium and branded rice have not yet seen a price reduction.

Prices for premium and branded rice remain unchanged domestically.

Speaking to a reporter from Tien Phong newspaper, Mr. Dinh Quang Thanh, representative of Phuong Nam rice store (District 3), said that many types of branded rice such as ST25 Mr. Cua's rice prices are currently stable and he hasn't heard any announcements from suppliers about price reductions. Specifically, premium ST25 rice is priced at 41,000 VND/kg; ST25 shrimp-farmed rice at 43,000 VND/kg; high-grade rice at 52,000 VND/kg; and organic ST25 at 80,000 VND/kg...

"In 2024, there was a rice harvest." price increase "And it has remained stable until now. Regarding the drop in rice prices, it also depends on the type of rice. Sometimes it also depends on the purchasing process, for example, ST25 rice was purchased during the Tet holiday," Mr. Thanh said.

The rice that has decreased in price is mostly regular rice, with a slight price drop of 1,000 - 2,000 VND/kg.

According to Mr. Thanh, from the beginning of 2025, the amount of rice exported will increase. ST25 Mr. Cua's numbers have decreased due to insufficient supply, while domestically... on fire goods, especially at this time Lunar New Year recently.

"Currently, the number of visitors..." buy rice "The price is decreasing. The reason is that Tet (Lunar New Year) has just ended, and every household has stocked up on rice, so customers usually don't buy rice again until after the first lunar month," Mr. Thanh said.

Many rice dealers in Ho Chi Minh City say that because they imported rice at high prices, domestic rice prices cannot decrease immediately and will require some time. In addition, related costs such as transportation, storage, and labor have all increased, making it difficult for prices to fall quickly. "Once we sell off our current rice stock and import new rice at lower prices, we will reduce retail prices for consumers," affirmed Ms. Thanh Ha, owner of a stall at the Chicken Market and Rice Market (District 1).

Meanwhile, supermarket chains have not yet taken steps to lower prices because they focus on the mid- and high-end segments, which are less volatile. Furthermore, supply contracts between supermarkets and distributors are often long-term and have time lags, meaning retail prices are less affected immediately when raw rice prices fall.

Many rice stalls and dealers have reported slow sales after the Lunar New Year.

According to Mr. Pham Thai Binh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Trung An High-Tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company (Can Tho City), Vietnamese rice exports have continuously dropped in price this year, currently the lowest among exporting countries such as Thailand and Pakistan. rice for export The decrease in price has also led to a sharp drop in domestic rice prices.

Data from the Vietnam Food Association shows that the average price of regular rice in the field is only 5,400 VND/kg, fragrant rice is 7,000 - 8,500 VND/kg, and fragrant rice is sold in warehouses. reduce Prices have plummeted to 8,000 - 9,500 VND/kg, 40 - 50% lower than last year.

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