Vietnamese rice is inferior to Cambodian rice and Thai rice.

Vietnamese rice is at risk of losing its market share and monopoly position right in its "home market", first of all in modern distribution channels.

Imported rice appears more and more - Photo: Tr.Manh

Even to have quality raw materials for export production, many domestic factories have to import rice from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh... for processing.

Curious about imported rice

For over two months, Ms. Nguyen Thu Ha (District 10, Ho Chi Minh City) has become a regular customer of the rice shop on Bach Ma Street (District 10) because it sells a special type of foreign rice.

Ms. Ha said that she heard from a colleague about a type of rice that was both delicious and safe, so she was curious and bought it to try. Right from the moment she cooked the rice, she was impressed with this type of rice because of its aroma.

After that, the whole family agreed that the new type of rice produced softer, stickier rice. In addition, the information that this type of rice was grown once a year and used little fertilizer or pesticides, so Ms. Ha agreed to buy it even though the price was nearly 50% higher.

Like Ms. Ha, many consumers in Ho Chi Minh City and other large cities are interested in and using foreign rice, for example, Cambodian rice, mostly for the following reasons: unique taste, especially peace of mind with long-standing concerns about food safety.

Cambodian rice sellers also increased promotion of the "long-term and chemical-free" factor.

If in the past there were only a few small shops selling foreign rice, brought to Vietnam through border trade, now many professional rice trading units have jumped in, setting up distribution channels for foreign rice.

The owner of a rice shop in District 11 said that not only high-income people buy foreign rice, but also low-income people because the selling price, like Cambodian rice, is only 22,000-25,000 VND/kg.

In supermarkets and shopping malls, Thai and Japanese rice are also becoming more popular. Foreign rice is also increasingly being sold on many e-commerce sites of individuals and organizations.

Mr. Pham Hoang Lam, General Director of Hung Lam Joint Stock Company (An Giang), said that after more than 20 years of trading rice domestically, the company is preparing to launch an official distribution system for imported Cambodian rice in Vietnam.

The company said it will also sell Cambodian rice online and by phone, delivering nationwide.

Mr. Lam appreciates having a group of customers interested in the quality, flavor and safety of Phkar Romdoul rice.

The need to eat well, no longer to eat enough

According to Mr. Pham Hoang Lam, Vietnam has many delicious rice varieties, but due to intensive farming, these varieties are almost extinct.

Vietnamese rice is mainly hybrid with a growing time of only 100 days, not to mention a part of the population uses a lot of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, so Vietnamese rice is increasingly rated as poor in quality and flavor.

Even processing enterprises still tend to "turn their backs" on Vietnamese rice. While foreign rice is creeping into every meal, companies producing rice products have to go to India and Pakistan to buy rice to ensure quality.

Ms. Nguyen Hoai Trang, director of Karst Joint Stock Company (HCMC), said that with many orders for high-quality vermicelli, pho, rice paper..., only a few domestic units can produce rice with organic certification but the price is too high.

"We have to import rice from Pakistan and India because the quantity is stable. When imported to Vietnam, the price is still lower than in the domestic market," said Ms. Trang.

Dr. Nguyen Dang Nghia, Director of the Center for Tropical Agriculture Research and Consulting, said that in reality, Cambodian rice and foreign rice are becoming more and more popular because the needs of Vietnamese people have changed, not only to eat well but also to enjoy the flavor and quality.

High-yield rice grown in three months using a lot of fertilizers and pesticides, grown everywhere in Vietnam, is no longer suitable...

According to Mr. Nghia, not only in Vietnam but also in the world, consumer tastes have changed very quickly. People are increasingly interested in local rice and global quality certifications.

In Vietnam, there are also some individuals or businesses that have changed direction according to the above needs, but the scale is very small and it is very difficult to avoid dependence on chemical fertilizers and plant protection chemicals.

"If we don't change quickly, not only rice, but Vietnamese agricultural products will lose right at home," Mr. Nghia warned.

According to TTO