Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s speech at the opening ceremony of the first Vietnam Rice Festival in 2009

Dear comrade Le Kha Phieu who was the former General Secretary of Central Committee of Vietnamese Communist Party, revolutionary veteran comrades, representatives, distinguished Ladies and gentlemen.

Dear comrades and compatriot!

Today, I am very happy to attend and give speech for opening the first Vietnam National Rice Festival held in Hau Giang province on the bank of Xa No canal which is the rice way of Hau Giang. The canal has been attached to rice history of Vietnam. This water way which was used to transport the first shipments of rice hundreds years ago to export to the world. And this is also the land rich in revolutionary tradition, the heroic land with glorious feat of arms and great achievements in many aspects in the struggle for national independence and unity and in the task of constructing and developing the country today. On the behalf of the Government, I give a warm welcome to representatives, guests, comrades, compatriots for attending the first Vietnam Rice Festival in Hau Giang today.

Dear representatives, comrades and compatriots!

Vietnam has a lot of potentialities and advantages in producing rice. The rice production of Vietnam has attached to the traditional history for thousands years of building and protect the country and to the civilization of wet rice of Vietnamese people. The rice and rice grain have had a very important place in producing agriculture and in every Vietnamese’s life. The rice has become the main food accounting for over 90% of grain yield and relating to work and income of about 80% of Vietnam farm households. The rice is to provide 70% of food energy of people. Therefore, the rice and its grain always play an important role in ensuring the national food security. In the past years, especially since we started innovation led by the Vietnamese Communist Party, our agriculture has attained great achievement especially the food production. During 20 past years, the rice productivity and yield of Vietnam has increased twice. At the present, the average productivity is 5.3 tons/ ha per crop. The whole year yield is nearly 39 million tons. Rice production development has made Vietnam the country with enough food not only for the country with population increase of about 1 million per year and for ensuring food security in any situations but also for exporting totally over 74 million tons valued at nearly 20 billion USD and becoming the second largest rice exporter in the world from being short of rice once for many past consecutive years. The income of rice cultivating farmers is increasing more and more thanks to the policies of reducing expenses, increasing productivity and quality and consuming rice. At the present, Vietnam also sends experts to some countries of Africa and others for instructing and sharing rice producing experiences. They are warmly and admiringly welcomed by the governments and people. To achieve that success is thanks to the effort of striving for overcoming difficulties and great creativity of millions of farmers who directly produce rice and to the instruction of the Party, the interest, investment and support of the State, instruction of the department and associated cooperation of research institutes, scientists, enterprises and help form international community.

In this formal Festival, we express our deep sincere gratitude to rice cultivating people, talented generous farmers of Vietnam.

Dear comrades, compatriots!

The Mekong Delta has an important position for producing and trading rice of Vietnam and is the main region of producing rice and producing more than 50% of rice yield and providing over 90% of exported rice quantity of the country. I acclaim Hau Giang province for initiative and positively presiding over and co-ordinating with ministries, departments and localities, the South Food General Company and patrons in organizing the first Vietnam Rice Festival with such practical activities as: Workshops of “Vietnam rice for export and integration”; “Vietnam rice”; “Xa No canal, the rice way of Hau Giang province”; competition of “encouraging national agriculture”; Food and drink festival; Vietnam rice exhibition; promoting investment and other cultural artistic activities. This is the meaningful work creating conditions for producers, rice trading enterprises, importers, distributors, consumers, scientists to meet and contact to find opportunity of business cooperation. Simultaneously, this is also a chance to respect the value of civilization of wet rice, rice, grain and rice cultivating people in Vietnam; to step up application of science and technique to rice production and trade for increasing the rice export efficiency and building and advertising trade name of Vietnam rice.

Dear ladies and gentlemen and comrades, compatriots! The potential of developing, producing and trading rice is very high especially the possibility of increasing productivity, curbing expenses, reducing the price, improving the quality and effectiveness. The efficiency of producing and trading rice is not high yet. Up to now, we don’t ensure good rice varieties, mechamizing in agriculture production is still low, the loss rate is still high, the organization of cultivating, purchasing, processing, preserving and trading is still limited; the lives of many rice cultivating people are difficult. The production and trade of Vietnam rice still face difficulty especially export market, natural calamity, epidemic disease, climate change and brine rise which Vietnam, one of some countries, is forcasted to be influenced heavily. The Party, State, Government, farmers, scientists, enterprises and the whole political system have to make effort to overcome these limits and weaknesses. First, we must overcome the status of crop loss and sell at good price. Bringing into play the potential, advantages for stable development, effectiveness in rice production and trade, improving the lives of rice cultivating people prompter and better, ensuring national food security and building the rural area in a more civilized and modern way. Simultaneously, take initiative in building and carrying out the action plan, dealing appropriately with climate change especially brine rise, preventing and reducing natural calamity, carrying out the resolution of Central Committee of the Party on agriculture, farmers and rural area.

By the way, on behalf of the Government and Vietnamese people, I sincerely express thanks and expect to receive the more and larger cooperation, support of countries, international organizations in the task of developing rural area and the rice of Vietnam. The fact that international community help and support Vietnam for developing rice production effectively and stably is also to ensure food security for the world. Because Vietnam export and supply about 1/5 of global rice export quantity of the world, which contributes to guarantee food for hundreds of millions of people. I wish the first Vietnam Rice Festival a successful organization. I wish ladies and gentlemen, comrades and compatriots good health, happiness and success.

Thank comrades and compatriots respectfully.