After rice exports from Vietnam reached this year's target of 4.5mil MT set by the Government, the Vietnam government has halted the signing of any new rice export contracts.

Last year, Vietnam also suspended rice export to ensure national food security, because epidemics decreased its paddy yield. The country shipped 4.75mil MT of rice worth US$1.3bil a 10% fall in volume and value against 2005.

Vietnam is the second largest rice exporting nation after Thailand, where annual rice export volume is around 7-8mil MT.