Rice being packed for export at a factory in Cần Thơ City. — VNA/VNS Photo

 OTTAWA — As Canada seeks to diversify its supply sources and reduce dependence on a single partner like the US, Vietnamese rice enterprises are presented with a golden opportunity to expand their share in this market.

Trần Thu Quỳnh, trade counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy in Canada, stated that Canada, housing approximately seven million people of Asian origin, is one of the world’s seven largest rice importers, with an annual demand worth around US$500 million and a growing trend.

However, over 50 per cent of Canada’s rice imports currently come from the US. Việt Nam has just begun to expand its rice market share in Canada, aided by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the growing popularity of ST25 rice.

In recent years, the Vietnam Trade Office in Canada has actively supported both domestic exporters and overseas Vietnamese businesses involved in rice import-export, aiming to raise Việt Nam’s current market share in Canada above 2 per cent.

Some overseas Vietnamese firms, such as KD Trading, have boldly imported ST25 rice, helping to boost brand awareness in Canada. Việt Nam has now entered the list of the top five rice exporters to the Canadian market.

At the recent SIAL exhibition in Toronto, Vietnamese rice brand Lotus attracted strong interest from Canadian importers. The showcased products, including jasmine rice, Japanese-style sushi rice, and ST25 have been gaining popularity in major Canadian cities.

Vũ Thị Huệ, sales director of Lotus, shared that while her company has exported rice to Canada, it has yet to achieve the desired volume. She expressed a hope for reaching more customers and partners through trade fairs to increase exports and tap into Canada’s substantial consumption demand.

Hứa Văn Hào, chairman of Kien Fat Trading, said Việt Nam’s agricultural exports to Canada, especially rice and products such as rice noodles, have great potential. Vietnamese goods can compete effectively with those from neighbouring countries like Thailand, and there is ample room for growth in the Canadian market, he noted.

Amidst global trade uncertainties prompting Canada to diversify its markets, Vietnamese agricultural exporters, particularly those in the rice sector, are encouraged to seize this opportunity. Fully leveraging free trade agreements involving both countries will be key to quickly increasing Việt Nam’s food exports to the North American nation. — VNS