The number of rice exporters from now to 2015 will be limited to 150, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Tuesday.— Photo vietstock

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) – The number of rice exporters from now to 2015 will be limited to 150, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Tuesday.

Deputy Minister Tran Tuan Anh, in a meeting held in HCM City on Tuesday about management or rice exports, said this regulation was contained in a new decision signed by the ministry in late August to stabilise and develop rice exports.

Phan Van Chinh, head of the Import-Export Department under the ministry, said that exporters would have to meet several criteria to receive certificates to export rice.

The company's current rice export results and the locations of rice stores and rice husking mills would all be taken into account, he said.

Exporters should also invest in their own raw material areas or work with partners to order and buy rice from farmers according to roadmaps issued by designated authorities.

Chinh said that the regulations on raw material areas were new and were based on proposals from provinces.

Exporters will also be required to export at least 10,000 tonnes of rice per year. If they fail to meet this requirement over two consecutive years, exporters will lose their export certificates.

They will have the right to reapply one year after the government withdrawal of their certificates.

If the figure of 150 exporters is reached, then the ministry will stop granting certificates.

When an exporter loses its certificate, the ministry will award a certificate to other applicants that meet all requirements, Chinh said.

Under the new decision, the number of rice exporters after 2015 will be adjusted based on real export activities and the production and consumption market.

The rice exporter plan will be implemented in September and October. All of the assessments of exporters will be done in accordance with the new decision, Tuan Anh said.

As for rice export volume since the beginning of 2013, Tuan Anh said the world rice export market had faced an increasing supply and many new markets had appeared, affecting Vietnamese rice exports.

The ministry has suggested many solutions, including strengthening connections between association members, widening the market for exporters and finding new partners. — VNS