HANOI: Vietnam, the world's second-largest rice exporter after Thailand, could have 7.2 million tonnes of the grain available for export next year after deducting domestic consumption, up from 7 million in 2011, a state-run newspaper said on Thursday.
Output in 2012 could drop to 41.52 million tonnes of unmilled rice from 41.57 million this year, but consumption could fall to 27.33 million tonnes from 27.52 million in 2011, the Nhan Dan daily cited Agriculture Ministry projections as showing.
Vietnam's rice exports this year could reach a record 7.5 million tonnes, the Agriculture Ministry said, revising its previous projection of 7.3 million tonnes.
Part of annual rice export volume comes from stocks carried over from the previous year.
Vietnam had an estimated stock of 0.84 million tonnes of milled rice in 2010 which was brought forward to this year. The Agriculture Ministry has projected the year-end stock this year at between 0.8 million and 1 million tonnes.
Rice remains the staple food for most of Vietnam's 87 million people, although in recent years city residents have switched to some extent to other food.
Most Vietnamese rice exports go to Asian countries, with Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Bangladesh the biggest buyers so far this year.
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