(Anova) - To ensure food security, the main target are rice quality and yield, not the expansion of rice acreage, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung told a working session on food security of concerned government agencies on Oct. 13.

He suggested mapping out a national food security programme until 2020, stressing national food security firstly means to ensure the supply of rice for people, then meet the demands for national reserve and export.

According to the statistics, Vietnam’s rice yield averaged 4.98 tonnes per ha in 2007, and obtained an average output of approximate 35 million tonnes of rice per annum in the 2001-2007 period. The country’s rice processing capacity currently meets the requirements of the domestic and export markets.

As far as drying, protecting and storage of rice is concerned, Vietnam still has a way to go to reach optimum profitability and quality standards.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said that the portions of commercial rice in different regions are various, about 25-30 percent in the Red River delta, 8-10 percent in northern mountainous area, 15-20 percent in central and central highland areas, 55-60 percent in southeast region and 70-75 percent in the Mekong Delta.

The MARD pointed out the State’s responsibility to control the national food reserve system and urgent distribution system. Together with appropriate sanctions, this was an important means to prevent illegal trade, phase out “food fevers” and ensure the food market and national food security, he said.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the price of Vietnamese rice is lower than Thai rice, so that more attention should be paid to the quality of rice. High-yield and high-quality rice varieties suitable to Vietnam’s conditions should be selected for production, while simultaneously focusing on agricultural modernization. Also, a policy on rice reserve and circulation should be implemented.

(Source: VNA)

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