Vietnam Rice Export Quota Leaves Shipments Stuck at Ports, Frustrates Exporters, Reports Say

Vietnam’s 400,000 ton rice export quota for April was filled in three hours, leading to “chaotic developments” and “disappointed” rice exporters, according to an April 20 report from CustomsNews, the mouthpiece for Vietnam Customs. The quickly filled quota, introduced by Vietnam to maintain domestic supplies of rice during the COVID-19 pandemic (see 2004140029), left rice shipments stuck at ports as exporters were unable to file any more declarations with the government, the report said. Vietnamese rice exporters complained that the government did not give “prior notice” before opening up its customs system for rice export declarations, which was opened at midnight on April 11, according to an April 14 report from Viet Nam News. Industry is “collecting opinions” to deliver to Vietnam’s trade and customs agencies, saying the system rollout “in the middle of the night was extremely unfair,” the report said.