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PROJECT “NETWORK FOR AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
THINK-TAKS FOR COUNTRIES IN MEKONG-SUB REGION” (NARDT)

country has about 14,268 rice seed varieties (MAF, 2021a). This underlines the chaining of
policy setting on rice from average consumption per capita to the ensure of enough rice
and variety of food for nutrition, and rice commercialization.

For rice export target, generally, Lao PDR exports rice to neighboring countries
via official and unofficial ways. According to the current five-year agricultural
development plan, the sector aims to export rice about 488,000 tons by 2025, which
is targeting to continue export to the EU market, which is the niche market focusing
on export GI rice such Khao Kai Noi. Additionally, Lao PDR gets the export quota to
China about 50,000 tons per year, but the country can export only 22,000 tons due
to the quality issue (MAF, 2021b).

3.1.3. Viet Nam
Rice is a food crop that plays an important role in agricultural and rural economic
development in Viet Nam, greatly contributes to ensure national food security and
social security. Over the years, the Vietnamese Government provides instructions and
policies to protect paddy areas for effective rice cultivation and encourage farmers
in cultivating rice.

The Resolution of the 7 Central Committee, term X, also sets a target for
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the agriculture sector of Viet Nam to maintain the rice area, firmly ensure national
food security in the immediate and long term. The National Food Security Strategy
indicated that “Rice production land is an irreplaceable, non-renewable, expandable
resource and the most important factor for production development. Therefore, stably
protecting and sustainably exploiting the rice cultivation area is the first measure to
ensure national food security”. This policy orientation becomes increasingly important
when the land use planning is strongly influenced by market economic factors and the
pressure of industrialization - urbanization makes. Currently, rice has become one of
the 13 key agricultural products of Viet Nam10.

In response to new challenges such as climate change, resource depletion,
environmental pollution, and inefficient rice production prices and incomes, the
agricultural sector has accelerated restructuring of the rice sector to ensure the
following objectives: Ensure domestic consumption demand and national food
security; Improve quality, nutritional value and ensure food hygiene and safety; Form
and improve the efficiency of the rice value chain; Adapt and mitigate to the climate
change; Efficient use of resources and protect the ecological environment; Improve
income for farmer and benefits for consumers; increase exports of high-quality and
high-value rice.

By 2025, the rice sector of Viet Nam sets specific goals: i) Keep the rice land at
3.6-3.7 million ha and the rice output maintain at 40-41 million tons; ii) Export 5 million
tons of rice; iii) The proportion of cultivated area using certified seeds is over 80%; the
proportion of cultivated area using high-quality seeds is over 70%; reduce the amount
of seed sown (average 80 kg/ha) by over 70%; the proportion of application area of
advanced farming processes and good production practices is over 60%; the proportion
of application area of high technology and digital technology is approximately 10%;
iv) Reduce the amount of chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides used in rice
production by 30% or more; v) The post-harvest loss rate less than 8%; the average

10 Circular No. 37/2018/TT-BNNPTNT dated December 25, 2018 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

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