Vietnam’s rice trade thrown into turmoil

Bloomberg

Vietnam’s rice traders have halted overseas shipments after the customs department ordered a temporary suspension of exports to ensure food security during the coronavirus pandemic. The country is the world’s third-largest exporter, behind India and Thailand.
“We have been unable to ship rice to the Philippines since customs clearance was suspended,” said Nguyen Van Thanh, director of Phuoc Thanh IV Co. “All we can do is to await the premier’s final say after the trade minister requested that the implementation of the customs decision be postponed.”
The company has about 30 containers, each of about 25 tons, bound for the Philippines, that are awaiting customs clearance. It has already exported more than 10,000 tons of rice to the Philippines.