Rice varieties of the Mekong Delta are introduced at the seminar on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Liêm

CẦN THƠ – Thirty importers from Hong Kong (China) said they want to import more rice from Cần Thơ City and are seeking Vietnamese exporters.
At a seminar held in the Mekong Delta city on Tuesday, chairman of the Rice Merchants Association of Hong Kong Kenneth Chan said the Hong Kong business delegation came to Cần Thơ to study Vietnamese rice varieties and seek information on Vietnamese exporters.

Following the global rice crisis in 2008, the amount of rice Hong Kong purchased from Việt Nam increased significantly, from 0.5 per cent of the territory’s total rice imports in 2008 to 42 per cent in 2013, he said.
Statistics showed that Vietnamese rice accounted for 30 per cent of Hong Kong’s total rice imports in the first nine months of 2019, which show the competitiveness and popularity of Vietnamese rice in the Hong Kong market, he underlined.
Vice President and Secretary General of the Việt Nam Food Association Nguyễn Trung Kiên said that Hong Kong has become an important market for Vietnamese rice in recent years, buying mostly Jasmine, Nang Hoa and KDM rice.
During January-September, Hong Kong imported around 90,000 tonnes of rice from Việt Nam at higher prices as compared to rice from other countries, and the region is forecast to buy 90,000 to 120,000 tonnes of Vietnamese rice in 2020, according to Kiên.
Kiên suggested local firms pay due attention to rice processing, quality management and food safety so as to meet stringent requirements of the Hong Kong market.
According to a report from Cần Thơ City’s Department of Industry and Trade, the city sold US$29.6 million worth of rice, seafood, garment and textile and processed agricultural products to Hong Kong in the first nine months of the year. Of the total amount, rice exports brought home $6.6 million.
Director of the department Nguyễn Minh Toại said that Cần Thơ is able to ship 1-1.2 million tonnes of rice abroad each year. In addition, local businesses have built high-quality material zones with many rice varieties qualified to enter fastidious markets like Hong Kong, Japan and the EU.
He expressed his hope that businesses from both sides will take full advantage of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement, which came into force on June 11, 2019, so as to boost two-way trade and set up long-term trade cooperation ties. — VNS