Rice exporters rail against storage minimum
Delegates attending a seminar in HCM City on February 22 urged the Government to amend or revoke a decree on rice exports which they said impedes exports of the grain. After the 2008/9 food crisis, Decree 109 was adopted requiring rice exporters to have at least one warehouse with a capacity to store 5,000 tonnes of paddy and a mill with a minimum capacity of 10 tonnes of paddy per hour. The must also have a steady supply area and register for export with the Việt Nam Food Association within three days after signing an export contract. But the decree has shortcomings and does not suit the current business situation, and so needs to be amended, delegates said.
