Dancers perform at the ceremony of the fourth Vietnam Rice Festival in the southern province of Vĩnh Long. — VNA/VNS Photo

VĨNH LONG — The fourth Vietnam Rice Festival is taking place in the Mekong Delta province of Vĩnh Long, with a wide range of events designed to promote agro-economy and rice trade in domestic and foreign markets.

Addressing the opening of the event on December 13, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union Lương Quốc Đoàn hailed the festival as an important opportunity to boost investment and business development in the rice industry.

“The festival aims to support trade promotion and create an opportunity for businesses, cooperatives and individuals in production and business to exchange information on brand promotion and product consumption; to connect supply and demand of consumption markets; and to promote links, joint ventures, and application of new science and technology in production, processing and trade of services, thus improving farmers' incomes,” Đoàn said.

At the festival’s opening ceremony, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Vietnam Farmer’s Union honoured 105 outstanding individuals and collectives in implementing a resolution of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister’s Decision on developing 15,000 effective cooperatives and associations of agricultural cooperatives.

Among activities at the event, which will last until December 19, there will be a trade fair with 800-1,000 pavilions, a rice cooking contest, and an art photography competition on the theme of rice fields and rice cultivation.

Workshops on important issues related to agricultural development will also be held as part of the event, focusing on legal framework and policies for agricultural cooperatives, agricultural vocational training, conditions for developing agro-economy and rural areas, support for rice growers, and investment in processing and trading farm produce.

Vĩnh Long, located in the centre of the Mekong Delta, is one of the main rice growing provinces with nearly one million tonnes of paddy harvested each year. It also ranks second in the delta in fruit and vegetable output.

Việt Nam exported 5.56 million tonnes of rice and brought home US$2.43 billion in the first 10 months of 2019, up 6.1 per cent in volume but down 9.1 per cent in value over the same period last year. — VNS