Vietnam’s rice exports remain stable despite import pauses by Philippines, Indonesia

Vietnam’s rice exports are unlikely to be significantly affected in the short term, said acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang following reports that the Philippines and Indonesia have temporarily suspended rice imports since early September.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) will report to the Prime Minister, seeking directives for banks to offer preferential credit, support debt restructuring, and resolve VAT refund bottlenecks, he added at a meeting on Thursday with businesses and associations.

Thang stressed that Vietnam’s rice sector needs swift short-term measures and long-term strategies. Immediate steps include addressing credit and tax issues and promoting trade, while longer-term efforts should focus on leveraging the autumn-winter crop, diversifying markets, and restructuring production to ensure farmers’ profitability and confidence.

Bui Thanh Tam, chairwoman of the Vietnam Northern Food Corporation (Vinafood 1), affirmed that farmers’ rice output is being fully purchased. State-owned enterprises are temporarily stockpiling hundreds of thousands of tons, helping stabilize supply and prices.

Tran Tan Duc, a board of directors member of Southern Food Corporation, noted that after a brief decline, paddy prices have rebounded thanks to imports from Africa and national reserves.

On Wednesday, high-quality paddy was sold at over VND6,000 ($0.23) per kg, while ordinary paddy held steady at around VND5,000 per kg.

Pham Thai Binh, chairman of Trung An Hi-Tech Farming JSC, said the summer-autumn crop has been largely harvested, so the Philippines’ suspension will not greatly affect overall export plans.

Several businesses also urged the Government to support exports and release inventories quickly to maintain credibility with international partners.

According to the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development, by the end of August, Vietnam had harvested 3.13 million hectares of paddy, yielding 20.52 million tons.

The remainder of the year will focus on the autumn-winter crop, with plans to plant more than 708,000 hectares – a key resource for balancing supply and demand if linkages among farmers, cooperatives, and enterprises function smoothly.

The department emphasized the need for investment in post-harvest infrastructure, including dedicated rice storage facilities, standard milling lines, and modern preservation technology.

Without these, the supply chain risks congestion during the peak harvest. With adequate infrastructure, enterprises could strategically stockpile and choose optimal selling times based on contracts and global prices rather than being forced into quick sales for cash flow.

The Plant Production and Protection Department forecast that an additional 13.8 million tons of paddy will be harvested in the last four months of 2025, including some 6 million tons from the Mekong Delta’s autumn-winter crop – a unique advantage over regional competitors.