The figures represent year-on-year increases of 60 percent in value and 52 percent in volume.

The February shipment raised the total rice exports by local businesses in early 2007 to 316,000 tonnes for earning almost US$100 million. Vietnam’s major rice markets are Cuba, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines.

In the first two months of 2007, Vietnam secured contracts to export 28,000 tonnes of rice to Japan. The Vietnam Food Association plans to export between 150,000-170,000 tonnes of rice to the market this year.