The Ministry of Industry and Trade and The Rice Trader magazine co-organized the 10^th World Rice Conference in Hanoi on October 11. This is the first time the event has been held in Vietnam.

The conference sought ways for gaining higher added values for the global rice value chain and promoting the sustainable development of agriculture to ensure food security. President and CEO of The Rice Trader Jeremy Zwinger said the event showed the Vietnamese Government’s commitment to boosting commercial rice production. Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue said the rice farming area accounted for 60 percent of the cultivation land of annual crops and it is a source of livelihood for nearly 9 million farming households in Vietnam. Vietnam has had a rice export market development strategy for 2017-2020, setting the farming of commercial rice shall meet market requirements in terms of quality, food safety, and customers’ tastes, said Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh. Vietnam exports rice to 150 countries and territories. It sold nearly 6 million tonnes in 2017, raking in 2.6 billion USD.-VNA