Vietnam is estimated to ship abroad over 3.3 million tons of rice valued at 906 million U.S. dollars in the first seven months of this year, posting respective year-on- year decreases of 4.7 percent and 5.4 percent.

Vietnam, which sold overseas more than 5.2 million tons of rice worth of 1.4 billion dollars last year, is expected to export over 5.2 million tons of the commodity valued at some 1.3 billion dollars this year, according to the Trade Information Center under the Vietnamese Trade Ministry on Friday.

Vietnam, under its strategy for rice production until 2010, will develop several areas designated for growing rice for export, including one million hectares in the southern Mekong Delta, and 300,000 hectares in the Red River Delta, aiming to produce 36 million tons of paddy rice each year.

The country is forecast to harvest 38-39 million tons of paddy rice in 2006, up from nearly 33 million tons in 2005, said the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Source: Xinhua