Ministry eyes green lane for waterway rice transport
The Ministry of Industry and Trade wants a green lane in waterways for rice transport since 95 percent of the grain in the Mekong Delta is transported by water.
The delta is Vietnam’s rice bowl. It said difficulty in harvesting and transporting paddy in the south amid Covid-19 outbreaks and social distancing, which have affected transport, has affected both domestic sales and exports.
Traders find it difficult to buy paddy and transport it to processing mills and then to ports.
Higher freights also make them reluctant to export.
According to the Vietnam Food Association, the difficulty in distribution has led to large inventories and funds being locked up, another reason for traders not buying rice.
Anh Minh
