The country saw a rice export boom in 2024, exporting 9 million tons and collecting revenue of $5.67 billion. However, export volume increased slightly in January to 500,000 tons, while export value decreased by 10.4 percent to $308 million compared with the same period last year

Notably, the export price in January and the first half of February decreased sharply.

The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) reported that Vietnam’s 5 percent broken rice on February 14 decreased to $395 per ton, much lower than Thailand’s, India’s and Pakistan’s $418 per ton, $413 and $402, respectively.

Vietnam’s 25 percent broken rice price has dropped to $370 per ton, lower by $25 than Thailand’s, and $22 than India’s, and higher by $2 per ton than Pakistan’s.

As such, Vietnam’s rice price has come very close to 2022’s bottom.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), India has removed the rice export ban, while Indonesia, which is Vietnam’s second largest export market, is becoming self-sufficient in food and only imports a small volume of rice, depending on supply sources. All these factors will affect Vietnam’s rice export in 2025.

Pham Thai Binh, chair of Trung An Hi-tech Agriculture JSC, said the inventories in the countries importing Vietnam’s rice are plentiful, and now is not the time to buy. Moreover, information about the supply has caused Vietnam’s rice price to decline.

The General Department of Customs (GDC) reported that Vietnam’s rice exports to Indonesia in January were just 651 tons, worth $0.35 million, a sharp fall of 98 percent from the same period last year.

Experts and businesses predicted that rice export will face difficulties this year and it is necessary to prepare production and business plans at the beginning of 2025.

A recent MARD report showed that Vietnam’s rice production area is 7 million hectares, a 132,000 hectare decrease compared with the last year, while the yield is expected to reach 61.6 quintals per hectare, up 0.6 quintals per hectare. 

Meanwhile, the estimated output is 43.14 million tons, down 357,000 tons. The rice for export mostly comes from Mekong Delta, while rice from other regions is mostly for domestic consumption.

The estimated total rice growing area in Mekong Delta is 3.78 million hectares and output is 23.97 million tons.

Vietnam plans to export 4.5 million tons of rice in the first half of the year, and exports may reach a peak of 1-1.3 million tons in March and April.

Tam An