Việt Nam exported 96,665 tonnes of rice to Senegal in 2019, up 13 times year on year. — Photo congthuong.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam this year would have opportunities to continue increasing rice exports to Senegal, as well as Africa as a whole, due to high demand from those markets, the Việt Nam Trade Office in Algeria said.

This year, Senegal's demand for imported rice is forecasted to be high because people are storing more food, including rice, during the serious outbreak of locusts in East Africa – which has destroyed crops – and the novel coronavirus epidemic, it said.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, Africa's rice demand in 2020 is estimated at 15.7 million tonnes. Of which, Senegal may have to import 1.3 million tonnes, it said.

In 2019, Việt Nam had strong growth in rice exports to Senegal compared to 2018, the trade office said. The exports reached 96,665 tonnes of rice, earning US$32.6 million, up 13 times in volume and 10.2 times in value year on year.

In this market, Vietnamese rice has to compete with rice from India, Pakistan, Thailand, China, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, the US, Malaysia and Cambodia.

It has also noted that according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Senegal in 2019 imported about 1.5 million tonnes of rice, an increase of 15 per cent compared to 2018 due to low rice supply in the domestic market.

About 90 per cent of rice imports to Senegal are broken rice. Senegalese people prefer broken rice due to its low cost, according to the trade office. — VNS