FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 11/00 - VIET NAM (6 November)
In the last week on October, mostly dry weather in northern parts favoured rice harvesting of the 10th month rice crop which accounts for around 25 percent of aggregate production. The 10th month crop is normally planted around July/August in the north (slightly later in the south) and harvested from November onwards.
Official reports indicate that serious floods this year in eight provinces in the Mekong Delta could take until late January to recede, which will delay planting of the main rice crop in parts. The main winter/spring crop which accounts for half of national production annually is normally planted from November/December onwards, depending on location, for harvest in May/June the following year. Areas around the Mekong Delta usually produce around 16 million tonnes of paddy annually, accounting for around 55 percent of total output. Notwithstanding the damage by the floods, official estimates indicate that paddy production in 1999/2000 would be around 32.7 million tonnes, up around 5 percent on the previous year.
Due to a slow down in rice trade in the world market, rice export revenues have been lower this year than anticipated. The Government recently revised down its rice export target for 2000 to 3.8 to 3.9 million tonnes compared to over 4 million tonnes earlier. In the first 10 months of the year, rice exports were estimated at 3.08 million tonnes.
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