Boosting rice exports to Japan

Last year, Japan imported 70,000 tonnes of rice, of which 30,000 tonnes came from Vietnam.

Nguyen Van Tien, General Director of Angimex Joint Stock Company – a leading rice exporter to Japan – says Angimex is cooperating with other domestic businesses to boost rice exports to Japan, which is in need of about 72,000 tonnes of imported rice this year.

However, Tien says, local exporters should pay attention to meeting Japan’s strict regulations on chemical residue to secure a firm foothold in this promising market.

He insists that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development strictly monitor key rice growing areas in Vietnam to ensure food hygiene and safety. Local exporters should improve the quality of rice to compete against Thai rivals which are shipping a large volume of rice to the Japanese market.

If Vietnam successfully control chemical residue in rice, both local exporters and farmers can earn more profits as the price of imported rice in Japan is normally 10 percent higher than the average price in other markets.

Truong Thanh Phong, Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), says three years ago Vietnam exported nearly 200,000 tonnes of rice to Japan. As local rice exporters have failed to meet Japanese importers’ strict regulations on chemical residue, their export volume is on the decline.

He suggests local rice producers and exporters study Japan’s market trend and consumer taste as it likes to import 15-percent broken rice with low chemical residue.