After many years of having to import rice to meet domestic consumption needs, August 23, 1989 was a historic milestone that started the journey of Vietnamese rice to the world . Many stevedores at Saigon port at that time recalled that when they received the order to load rice onto the ship, they thought they had misheard because they had only ever loaded rice from the ship to the shore, never before transferring rice from the shore to the ship like that. The first shipment of up to 10,000 tons of 35% broken rice at a price of 235 USD/ton exported to India marked the journey of Vietnamese rice continuously for decades without stopping.
In just over 4 months at the end of 1989, Vietnam exported 1.4 million tons of rice, reaching a turnover of 322 million USD with an average export price of 226 USD/ton. This had a significant impact on the world rice market. The price of 25% broken rice from 250 USD/ton continuously decreased for half a year, bringing benefits to many direct and indirect rice users. In 1999, Vietnamese rice marked a new historical milestone for itself with an export turnover exceeding 1 billion USD for the first time, with an output of 4.6 million tons and an average export price of 227 USD/ton. Vietnam officially became one of the world's rice exporting powers.
History of Vietnamese rice export through the ages
In the following 10 years, Vietnamese rice had many memorable milestones. In 2008, affected by the financial crisis and economic recession on a global scale, the export price of Vietnamese rice at times reached over 1,000 USD/ton. Or in 2009, the rice export output for the first time exceeded 6 million tons with a turnover of nearly 2.5 billion USD. However, more notably, in 2011, Vietnamese rice set a record in output when it reached 7.1 million tons, turnover of 3.65 billion USD, average export price of 495 USD/ton. Also from this time, the work of improving the quality of rice and building a Vietnamese rice brand in the international market to end the curse of "anonymity" began to take shape.
Vietnamese rice continues to affirm its brand in the international market.
At present, the world rice market is in chaos as India bans rice exports to ensure national food security, control inflation and Vietnam becomes an important source of rice supply, contributing to ensuring world food security.
Looking back at history, it seems that every 10-year cycle, Vietnamese rice has raised itself to a new level. After 30 years of exporting rice, with 6.5 - 7 million tons per year, Vietnam is not only a powerhouse in terms of quantity but the quality of Vietnamese rice has also been honored as "the best in the world". Vietnamese rice has also built its own brand in the most demanding and high-end markets such as Japan and the EU. It has been a difficult journey with a lot of effort and relentless determination of many generations of Vietnamese farmers, scientists and businesses. With their contributions, many of them have been awarded the title of Hero of Labor from Rice.
Up to this point, many people associated with the Vietnamese rice industry cannot forget November 12, 2019, when the Vietnamese rice variety ST25, bred by Mr. Ho Quang Cua, was honored as “World's Best Rice” - the world's best rice within the framework of the 11th World Rice Trade Conference in Manila (Philippines). A new beginning for Vietnamese rice on the journey to establish its reputation globally.
Talking about this title, Mr. Cua shared that it comes from national pride and the desire to contribute. In the past decades of exporting, although strong in quantity, the quality and value of Vietnamese rice were not highly appreciated, and there was no brand in the international market. That is the concern of many people who are attached to rice, including Mr. Cua.
In 1997, Thailand announced the successful hybridization of two short-term fragrant rice varieties. This became an event in the world rice industry. “I thought, why can others do it but I can’t? So I was determined and devoted all my heart to successfully hybridizing fragrant rice varieties for Vietnam.”
Heaven does not disappoint those who are dedicated. The title of the world's best rice for the ST25 variety is a worthy reward for Mr. Ho Quang Cua in particular and for Vietnamese rice in general. With his contributions, Mr. Ho Quang Cua has been awarded the noble title of Hero of Labor many times by the State, even before he won the title of "World's Best Rice" for Vietnam.
ST25 rice of Labor Hero Ho Quang Cua received the honor of "World's Best Rice"
VNA
Thanks to the reputation, Vietnamese enterprises are more confident in investing heavily in establishing a reputation - building a brand for Vietnamese rice. Up to now, many enterprises have participated in that process such as: Tan Long Group, Trung An High-Tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company, Vietnam Seed Group (Vinaseed), Loc Troi Group Joint Stock Company... Rice also takes advantage of free trade agreements (FTAs) to penetrate high-end markets.
According to the commitment from the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the EU gives Vietnam a quota of 80,000 tons of rice per year. Previously, many people still thought that Vietnam would not be able to "use" all of this quota because it would be stuck with quality standards. However, in the first year, the amount of rice exported by Vietnam to the EU reached 60,000 tons of all kinds. In 2022, rice exports to the EU market recorded remarkable growth, reaching 95,510 tons of rice, exceeding the quota of 80,000 tons of rice that this bloc gave to Vietnam.
In 2022, the British newspaper The Guardian reported: During the rice price fever due to scarce supply in Europe, a British trader went all the way to Vietnam to buy rice.
To meet the growing demand, on September 2, 2022, Loc Troi Group Joint Stock Company officially put the branded rice "Com VietNam Rice" on the shelves of two French supermarket chains Carrefour and Leclerc. This is an important step for this enterprise in the journey of building a rice brand as well as its commitments to sustainable development with farmers, enhancing the value of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market.
At that historic moment, Mr. Huynh Van Thon, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Loc Troi Group, who was awarded the title of Hero of Labor by the State for his contributions to the Vietnamese rice industry, could not hide his joy: We will try every day to join hands to build a brand for Vietnamese rice. In the near future, Loc Troi will strive to connect to continue promoting the export of key rice products to supermarket systems across European countries. In 2023, Loc Troi will continue to bring new products to the EU under the brand name "Com VietNam Rice" and to new markets such as Germany and Austria.
Three months earlier, on June 30, 2022, in Tokyo (Japan), under the witness of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, Tan Long Group, Kiraboshi Bank Japan (business connection unit), Sun-Tommy importer and Spice House distributor held an event to launch A An rice products officially sold in Japanese supermarket systems. To bring rice to the Japanese market, Tan Long had to pass an extremely strict testing process for more than 600 criteria. This is the first time that Vietnamese rice has been exported under the brand of Vietnamese people and directly entered the most demanding market in the world.
Mr. Truong Si Ba, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tan Long Group said: "We often think that Vietnamese rice is only exported raw due to poor quality, appearance, and uniformity... But Vietnam is an agricultural country with thousands of years of rice culture and civilization. I want to reposition the value and brand of Vietnamese rice in the eyes of international friends and in the hearts of Vietnamese people. Therefore, for many years, I have invested in rice production by selecting delicious rice varieties and building brands to conquer world consumers.
A An brand ST25 rice meal at the Japanese Cabinet Office on September 2, 2022
Vietnam Trade Office in Japan
In the world's most demanding market, Vietnamese rice does not only serve ordinary customers. On September 2, 2022, the Japanese Cabinet Office introduced a "special lunch" of fried rice using ST25 rice from Vietnam under the A An brand of Tan Long. The introduction form placed at the Japanese Cabinet Office stated: "ST25 fragrant rice is a famous delicious rice from Vietnam. After more than 1 year of negotiation and quality control, Spice House Co., Ltd. has successfully brought ST25 rice to consumers in Japan. From planting, quality monitoring, harvesting, packaging and preservation, all processes are strictly controlled to ensure the quality of fragrant, firm rice grains, and rice grains with a natural sweetness".
The Vietnamese trade office in Japan is brief: "The export of ST25 rice to the Japanese market is proof that Vietnam not only exports a lot of rice but also exports delicious rice, meeting the very high standards of the market."
High-tech application in rice production - using drones with Loc Troi's zero-footprint rice field project
CONG HAN
"For A An, my point of view is that before thinking about expanding to the world, we must build a foundation in the domestic market. We must build from the fields, that is, from the origin of the rice grains. Where is the rice grown, what kind, who grows it, how is it grown, how is it harvested, dried, stored, and preserved so that when it reaches consumers, it will be cooked into the most delicious and safest rice grains. The rice grains are not affected by any chemicals or overdose of pesticides that make consumers worry. Our biggest customers are the Vietnamese and we consider them the most demanding customers, who need to be served the best" - the person who brought Vietnamese rice to the Japanese dining table, Mr. Nguyen Si Ba shared.
In 2022, rice exports will reach 7.1 million tons, with a turnover of 3.5 billion USD; an increase of 14% in quantity and 5.1% in turnover over the same period in 2021. The average export price of rice in 2022 will reach 486 USD/ton.
In the first 6 months of 2023, rice export volume reached 4.24 million tons, up 21% and value reached 2.3 billion USD, up 32% over the same period last year.
Vietnam is always in the top 3 largest rice exporting countries in the world.
Entering July, the world rice market entered a new historical period when India stopped exporting all types of white rice, except Basmati rice. This caused a shortage of 7-9 million tons in the world market and rice prices immediately increased every day. Just one week after the ban, last weekend, the price of 5% broken rice in some countries reached 600 USD/ton. No one knows exactly where the price fever will go, but it is clear that the market will continue until India changes its rice policy. However, not only the Indian factor, the global rice market is also dominated by El Nino with the forecast that 2023 will be the hottest year in history. The El Nino factor will make the world's largest rice reserve, China, not dare to risk taking advantage of the rice price opportunity. Therefore, the role of major suppliers such as Vietnam (along with Thailand) becomes even more valuable.
Hero of Labor, Professor Vo Tong Xuan, who has devoted his whole life to rice, said: From 1989 to now, rice growers have made the country proud by placing Vietnam in the top 3 rice exporting countries in the world. In recent years, Vietnamese rice has also built a brand. The context of 2023 puts Vietnam in a special role and position: how can we take advantage of price opportunities while still ensuring the reputation of responsible suppliers? When demand increases, somewhere businesses will chase quantity. This is something to avoid and we should persevere in the direction of quality and brand for long-term development because price fever is only temporary. "When it comes to rice, think of Vietnam - we must position Vietnamese rice in the minds of world consumers like that", the Hero of Labor of the rice industry emphasized.
Thanhnien.vn
Comment (0)