LookAtVietnam – Around 300 companies will gather at the first Rice Festival in Vietnam in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang from November 26 to 30.

Speaking at a press conference in Hanoi on September 30, chief organiser Trinh Quang Hung, who is also vice Chairman of Hau Giang province, said that the festival is held to honor “wet rice civilisation”.

The event, which is also aimed at promoting the Vietnam rice brand, will also be attended by officials from the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the International Rice Institute and representatives of many countries that have trade relations with Vietnam.

The aim is promote local rice production technology and educate customers about wet rice and the Vietnamese rice market and, hopefully, to sign export contracts too.

A total of 20 events, including three seminars on Vietnamese rice and an exhibition of rice, will be held. The festival will also boast many cultural activities, including a boat racing festival, a gastronomic festival and music shows.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong said Vietnam exported just under 5 million tones of rice annually in recent years. This year the country may export up to 6 million tones - the highest level so far.

Vietnam shipped abroad over 5 million tones in the February-September period, earning nearly $2.3 billion, a rise of 35 percent in quantity and a fall of 6.4 percent in value compared to the same period of 2008.

VietNamNet/VNE