Decree 01/2025/ND-CP expects to improve rice export efficiency

Decree 01/2025/ND-CP dated January 1, 2025 amending Decree 107/2018/ND-CP on rice export business is expected to help rice export activities improve.

Reporter of Industry and Trade Newspaper had an interview with Dr. Le Quoc Phuong - Former Deputy Director of the Center for Industry and Trade Information - Ministry of Industry and Trade about this Decree.

Dr. Le Quoc Phuong - Former Deputy Director of the Center for Industry and Trade Information (Ministry of Industry and Trade) (photo by Can Dung)

- In 2025, the first Decree issued by the Government is Decree 01/2025/ND-CP dated January 1, 2025 amending Decree 107/2018/ND-CP on rice export business. How do you perceive the Government's special attention to rice export activities ?

Dr. Le Quoc Phuong: Rice is one of the very important and special commodities of the economy because it not only brings achievements in export activities, brings foreign currency to the country but also relates to the life and income of farmers - a large force in society, whose life is still full of difficulties, and receives special attention from the Party and State.

Therefore, agricultural export activities in general and rice export in particular have received attention and many policies to create favorable conditions. This is also the reason why rice export achieved very high results in 2024. In the whole year, Vietnam exported 9.18 million tons, with a turnover of 5.75 billion USD, the highest figure ever, achieving a growth of 12% in volume and 23% in price. In particular, Vietnamese rice has repeatedly reached the highest price in the world.

In 2025, the first Decree issued by the Government is Decree 01/2025/ND-CP dated January 1, 2025 on rice trading and export. This also shows the Government's great interest in rice export activities. In this Decree, the Government has proposed clearer and more coherent management solutions on the rice export situation to contribute to ensuring domestic food security. At the same time, it regulates rice prices, ensures rice quality, especially builds rice brands. These are solutions to promote rice exports in the coming time. With this interest, it is hoped that rice export activities will achieve good results in 2025.

Rice exports to hit record high in 2024 (Photo: Loc Troi Group)

- Compared to Decree 107/2018/ND-CP, Decree 01/2025/ND-CP has many provisions to promote rice exports. In the context of India's recent abolition of rice export orders, which has increased market supply and increased competition for rice exports, how do you think these innovations will contribute to rice exports?

Dr. Le Quoc Phuong: Basically, Decree 01/2025/ND-CP has many contents that remain the same as Decree 107/2018/ND-CP, but also adds many provisions to facilitate rice export activities.

Specifically, Decree 01/2025/ND-CP clearly states: Prioritizing the allocation of annual funding for programs to develop foreign trade activities and promote trade for rice and rice-processed products. Prioritizing capital for trade promotion activities and promoting Vietnamese rice products is expected to help improve rice export efficiency in the context of this activity facing many difficulties in recent times.

In addition, regarding the responsibilities of rice export traders, according to the provisions of Clause 3, Article 24 of Decree No. 107/2018/ND-CP: Periodically on Thursday of each week, rice export traders report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the actual amount of paddy and rice in stock of traders according to each specific type to synthesize data for management purposes.

Instead of having to report weekly, the above regulation is amended by Decree No. 01/2025/ND-CP as follows: Periodically, before the 5th day of each month, rice export traders must report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Department of Industry and Trade where the trader has its head office, warehouse, milling, grinding facility or rice processing facility, and at the same time send a copy to the Vietnam Food Association on the actual amount of rice and paddy in stock of the trader according to each specific type to synthesize data for management purposes. Thus, this is also a provision that will help traders reduce the time and effort required to make reports.

- In addition to facilitating, the authorities also added another factor that causes traders to have their licenses revoked, which is that traders do not implement or do not properly implement the direction and management of competent authorities as prescribed. This shows that the authorities, in addition to creating conditions, also continue to put rice export activities into a framework. What is your assessment of this issue?

Dr. Le Quoc Phuong: According to the provisions of Clause 1, Article 8 of Decree 107/2018/ND-CP, the Ministry of Industry and Trade considers and decides to revoke the Certificate of eligibility for rice export business in 7 cases. Meanwhile, Decree 01 adds a provision that if after 45 days from the date the Ministry of Industry and Trade issues a document urging rice export traders, the Ministry of Industry and Trade does not receive a report from the trader as prescribed in Clause 1 and Clause 2, Article 24 of this Decree, the trader will have its Certificate of eligibility for rice export business revoked. Thus, traders participating in rice export business need to further enhance their responsibility in export work and reporting to authorities, avoiding cases where enterprises use excuses to avoid reporting to authorities.

The new Decree also enhances the responsibility of ministries and branches in managing rice exports, such as requiring the Ministry of Industry and Trade to organize and implement programs to develop foreign trade activities and promote trade for rice and rice-processed products to enhance the value, quality and brand of Vietnamese rice, ensuring proactiveness, focus and key points in the management and operation of rice and rice-processed products.

Decree No. 01/2025/ND-CP also adds the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance to prioritize the allocation of annual funding for programs to develop foreign trade activities and promote trade for rice and rice-processed products.

Within 45 days from the date the Ministry of Industry and Trade issues the Certificate of eligibility for rice export business to the trader, the People's Committee of the province/city shall direct the Department of Industry and Trade where the trader has a warehouse for storing rice and paddy to coordinate with relevant agencies of the province/city to organize post-inspection of warehouses, milling, grinding and processing facilities for rice and paddy to meet the conditions for rice export business in the locality as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 5 of this Decree.

Thus, the responsibility of ministries and localities must be enhanced in the coming time. When the responsibility of ministries and localities is enhanced, the efficiency of rice export will certainly be enhanced.

- Given the record high results of rice export activities in 2024, along with the newly issued Decree, what is your assessment of the rice export situation in 2025?

Dr. Le Quoc Phuong: It must be reaffirmed once again that the export result of 9 million tons, earning 5.8 billion USD, an increase of 10.6% in volume but an increase of 23% in value of rice exports is very impressive. The average export price of rice in 2024 will also increase by 16.7% compared to 2023. This is an extremely impressive breakthrough after 35 years since Vietnam began exporting rice.

It can be seen that in the past, Vietnam had many difficulties in exporting rice. However, currently, the reputation of Vietnamese rice has been increasingly enhanced. Besides, in terms of brand building, after a period of time, the Vietnamese rice brand has been increasingly affirmed in the world market. Vietnamese rice has not only been exported to traditional markets but also to many new markets with increasingly high value.

With the momentum of rice exports in 2024, I expect that in 2025, rice export activities will still maintain their advantages. At the same time, with support solutions for trade promotion and product promotion as proposed in Decree 01, I hope that businesses will take advantage of the opportunity and promote brand building so that rice grains will increasingly affirm their position in the world market.

Besides, I hope that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and localities will speed up the implementation of the Project of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation to have a sustainable and high-quality rice supply.

Thank you!

By 2024, Vietnamese rice will have been exported to about 150 countries and territories. The largest import markets are the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Ivory Coast, Ghana...; in which, the Philippines continues to be the largest rice import market of Vietnam and Vietnam is also the leading rice supplier of this country.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/nghi-dinh-012025nd-cp-ky-vong-nang-cao-hieu-qua-xuat-khau-gao-369010.html