The two ministers agreed on the proposal to establish a National Rice Council.

The committee members include representatives from the leadership of various ministries, the Vietnam Farmers' Association, the Vietnam Food Association, the Vietnam Rice Industry Association, the People's Committees of several provinces (Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ho Chi Minh City), 13 localities in the Mekong Delta region, and a number of businesses.

The National Rice Council is an inter-sectoral coordinating organization that advises the Prime Minister on researching, directing, and coordinating the resolution of important, inter-sectoral issues related to the development of the rice industry.

The draft also outlines several tasks for the National Rice Council, such as researching and proposing to the Government and the Prime Minister policies, strategies, mechanisms, and transparent and effective policies to ensure market stability and development for the rice industry.

Conduct research, provide advice, make recommendations, and propose directions and solutions to the Prime Minister to address important issues in the industry. Assist the Government and the Prime Minister in coordinating, monitoring, and inspecting the implementation of inter-sectoral strategies, programs, mechanisms, policies, and projects related to rice.

Simultaneously, we will closely coordinate with ministries and agencies to gather information and conduct analyses and assessments on the production and export situation of the rice industry.

At the conference, the opinions of associations, businesses, and localities all agreed on the establishment of a National Rice Council to ensure the sustainable development of the rice industry and higher incomes for farmers.

According to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan, a national rice council is urgently needed to advise on policies and address emerging issues in Vietnam's rice industry.

"Assuming India reopens its rice exports, what would Vietnam's policy response be? We must act immediately. With today's mindset, no single sector is capable of resolving such an issue; it requires a multi-sectoral approach."

"The National Rice Council acts as a planning and advisory body for major policies, advising on the resolution of emerging issues, diplomatic matters, and the image of the rice industry for the Government and the Prime Minister, in order to develop the rice industry sustainably," Mr. Hoan said.

Concluding the conference, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien emphasized that Vietnam's rice industry currently plays a crucial role not only in national food security but also as a major rice exporting power in the world and contributes to building the national brand.

However, Vietnam's rice industry still faces many limitations, such as fragmented production, outdated technology, and low incomes for rice farmers. Rice exports remain dependent on traditional markets and lack market diversification.

The reason is that the rice production industry still lacks a stable and sustainable development strategy and policy. State investment in rice production and export is not commensurate with its potential.

Many export businesses lack professionalism, engage in unfair competition, and fail to make efforts to secure and develop markets.

Coordination among different levels, sectors, localities, industry associations, and businesses is not yet effective...

"Based on the above analysis and aiming towards a multi-value, diversified rice industry with diverse products, markets, and supply sources, enhancing value for rice farmers... a national rice council is urgently needed to establish effective coordination regulations among ministries, sectors, localities, associations, and industries in coordinating joint activities for national rice production, business, and export," Mr. Dien said, adding that the two ministries will incorporate feedback from other ministries, sectors, and localities to finalize the council and submit it to the Government for consideration soon.

Vietnamese rice: reasons for celebration and concerns.

Finding solutions to enhance the brand image of Vietnamese rice and stabilize export prices at a high level is no easy task. Many solutions have been proposed, but they only address the immediate symptoms, while the long-term root cause remains an unknown.