Maize imports rise as rice exports fall
Maize imports in the first five
months of 2015 are on the rise but rice exports are on the decline, according
to figures from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Viet Nam imported
2.87 million tonnes of maize, worth US$622 million, up by 30.3 per cent in
volume, and an increase of 16.8 per cent in value compared with the same
period last year.
The country also
imported 700,000 tonnes of beans and other materials for processing of animal
feed worth nearly $1.4 billion.
Meanwhile,
exports of rice from Viet Nam over the same period reached 2.08 million
tonnes, worth $875 million, a decline of 255,000 tonnes in volume and $138
million in values over 2014.
In all, the value
of imported animal feed and other materials for the food processing industry
in the first five months amounted to nearly $2.3 billion, nearly triple the
total value of rice exports over the same period.
Authorities have
been urged to re-structure the country's planting systems, aiming to reduce
material imports while easing the pressure on rice consumption.
The programme to
re-structure rice plantation to other crops including maize began in 2013
when the country's rice exports were stagnant.
However, the
programme has faced challenges in many localities across the country.
The slump in the
world's farm produce prices, including maize prices, has caused local
agricultural products to be less competitive than imported goods.
Maize prices have
dropped to less than VND5,000 per kg since the end of 2014, making maize
growers' profits lower than rice growers'.
It has forced
many farmers to return to rice cultivation.
Huynh The Nang,
chairman of Vietnamese Food Association, said that global demand for rice had
changed greatly compared to five to 10 years ago. Rice growing countries have
increasingly raised their output, while rice buyers have also been promoting
rice production.
"It's time
for Viet Nam to re-consider rice production and exports with an aim to raise
the added value of this product and a bigger effort to change rice into more
necessary crops," he said. —VNS
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Thứ Ba, 16 tháng 6, 2015
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