Facilitate the purchase and temporary storage of rice to the maximum extent possible.

Đó là ý kiến chỉ đạo của Phó Thủ tướng Chính phủ Hoàng Trung Hải tại cuộc họp với các địa phương ĐBSCL, các đơn vị đầu mối thu mua lương thực xem xét tình hình, chỉ đạo các giải pháp tháo gỡ khó khăn cho sản xuất, tiêu thụ lúa và thủy sản trong vùng sáng 27/2.

Phó Thủ tướng Hoàng Trung Hải yêu cầu thực hiện đúng mục tiêu của tạm trữ.
Photo: VGP/Nguyen Linh

The conference, held in Dong Thap province, aimed to discuss effective solutions for implementing the government's policy of temporarily stockpiling 1 million tons of rice, a policy that is crucial to the production and consumption of rice in the 2013 crop year.

Giá lúa gạo tăng nhờ mua tạm trữ

According to a preliminary report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the 2012-2013 Winter-Spring crop season, the Mekong Delta provinces sowed 1.53 million hectares, a decrease of 46,000 hectares compared to the previous year. To date, approximately 1.1 million hectares of rice have been harvested, yielding about 7.4 million tons of paddy rice, and the total yield for the season is expected to reach about 3.8 million tons of milled rice.

However, due to difficult consumption conditions, the selling price of rice for farmers has decreased. In response to this situation, on February 7th, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 311/QD-TTg to temporarily stockpile 1 million tons of rice from the 2012-2013 Winter-Spring crop in the Mekong Delta provinces to alleviate the difficulties.

According to Truong Thanh Phong, Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), since February 20th, traders meeting all three criteria to participate in temporary stockpiling have begun purchasing, and to date, 102 out of 119 businesses have reported purchasing for temporary stockpiling, totaling 211,844 tons, equivalent to 21% of the assigned target.

The State Bank of Vietnam has also directed 12 commercial banks to provide loans for the purchase of paddy and rice for temporary storage.

Following the implementation of temporary stockpiling, rice prices on the market have increased slightly compared to the beginning of the season. The average price of fresh rice in the fields has increased by 150-200 VND/kg, reaching 4,400 VND/kg for regular rice and 4,600-5,300 VND/kg for high-quality and fragrant rice.
According to Mr. Truong Thanh Phong, the current rice purchase prices for temporary storage as well as export are considered consistent with international market prices. With the current inventory of rice awaiting export by businesses at approximately 1.24 million tons and forecasts of supply and demand balance domestically and in the world rice market, by mid-2013, Vietnam is likely to export 3.5 million tons, maintain inventory at 800,000 - 1 million tons, and ensure good purchase prices for farmers.

“Giá thu mua sẽ chỉ có thể lên chứ khó xuống cho đến vụ Hè Thu”, ông Phong khẳng định.

Thứ trưởng Bộ Công Thương Trần Quốc Khánh cũng cho rằng chủ trương mua lúa tạm trữ của Chính phủ đã kích được giá, tăng thu nhập cho nông dân. Năm 2013, xuất khẩu gạo của nước ta chịu nhiều sức ép nhưng số lượng đăng ký hợp đồng xuất khẩu gạo đầu năm rất khả quan với mức hơn 2,8 triệu tấn, tăng gần gấp đôi so với cùng kỳ năm 2012. Do đó, tạm trữ sẽ giúp chủ động trong điều hành sản lượng tiêu thụ gạo trong năm.

Tạo thuận lợi tối đa cho công tác mua tạm trữ

Tại Hội nghị, các ý kiến của các địa phương vùng lúa ĐBSCL đều cho thấy kết quả tích cực từ thu mua tạm trữ lúa. Bên cạnh đó, những vấn đề vướng mắc trong triển khai tạm trữ như thủ tục vay vốn phức tạp và giải ngân chậm nên nhiều thương nhân không thu mua kịp thời, một số thương nhân chưa vay được vốn do ngân hàng yêu cầu thế chấp tài sản thay vì lúa gạo mua tạm trữ.

Photo: VGP/Nguyen Linh

According to Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Nguyen Dong Tien, outstanding credit to rice purchasing businesses reached VND 17,013 billion at the beginning of this year, an increase of 4.56% compared to the beginning of last year. In the near future, the State Bank of Vietnam will balance capital sources and direct credit institutions to continue shifting the credit structure, focusing lending on agriculture and small and medium-sized enterprises.

According to business representatives, the current volume of purchased rice of the IR 50404 variety is large, potentially causing difficulties for exports due to its low quality, while long-grain rice varieties are in demand but have low production.

According to forecasts presented at the conference, many expressed concerns about the international market situation and the continued difficulties facing Vietnam's rice exports in 2013 due to competitive pressure from Thailand, India, Myanmar, and Pakistan, while some traditional markets reduced imports.

In his concluding remarks at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai assessed that the situation of the Winter-Spring crop – the most important crop of the year – is unfolding with a mix of advantages and difficulties. Market fluctuations and export challenges require accurate understanding of developments and timely, appropriate solutions to achieve the highest possible success in agriculture and ensure benefits for farmers.

The Deputy Prime Minister stated that the initial results of the temporary stockpiling program are positive. In the future, ensuring that this stockpiling program achieves its objectives will be crucial to the management and operation of the 2013 rice crop, as well as its production and consumption outcomes.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai requested that advisory agencies learn from experience and create the most favorable conditions for the temporary storage work to be implemented on schedule and achieve its objectives. This includes considering extending the start time of temporary storage, setting appropriate quantities and floor prices for procurement, taking advantage of favorable weather to accelerate harvesting and procurement, and urgently providing early support for investment and agricultural mechanization, especially for harvesting and drying equipment which is currently lacking in some areas during peak harvest season.

In particular, the State Bank of Vietnam has directed that favorable conditions be created and disbursements be facilitated for traders to purchase rice for temporary storage in accordance with the policy. In the long term, expanding the model of the four-party linkage, large-scale model fields, etc., will support temporary storage more effectively.

Regarding exports, in the coming period, in addition to consolidating and maintaining markets and ensuring efficient consumption of rice in the mid- and low-end segments, we will continue to rationally plan procurement, processing, and export hubs to increase national competitiveness of exported agricultural and aquatic products.

However, the planting plan for the next season must gradually shift towards the premium rice market, specialty rice, and high-value rice varieties, while actively seeking and expanding into new markets.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and local authorities to support and supervise traders in accelerating the progress of temporary rice procurement and storage according to plan, to increase the use of high-quality rice varieties, and to minimize the sowing of low-value rice varieties such as IR50404 in the upcoming Summer-Autumn crop. The Ministry of Finance was also instructed to issue policies to facilitate the settlement of accounts for businesses implementing temporary storage.

According to (Chinhphu.vn) - LT