Vietnam ends export freeze on rice

Vietnam will accept new rice contracts after a temporary freeze on exports that allowed the country to consider rice production and domestic demands amid a world food crisis.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in a statement posted on the government website asked traders to increase rice exports “to consume all unmilled rice on stock of farmers and help secure rice supplies to the world market”.

The government in March temporarily banned traders from signing new rice exports contracts and capped the rice exports between January to September to 3.5 million tons to secure food safety.

The statement quoted an Agriculture Ministry report as saying the country’s total output is expected to top 37 million tons of unmilled rice this year.