No rice absence to wait

Vietnam could export more than 5 million tonnes of rice in 2009, up at least 6.4 percent from last year, a state-run newspaper said.

 In 2008 Vietnam exported 4.72
million tonnes of rice, up 3.6 percent from the previous year,
government statistics show. Industry officials said exporters had
signed contracts for a total of 5.1 million tonnes last year, with
some deliveries still to take place.
Rice export revenues nearly
doubled to $2.9 billion in 2008, making it the Southeast Asian
country's top foreign exchange earner among agricultural export
products. The average price in 2009 could fall to $420 a tonne, free
on board.
Vietnam, the world's second-largest rice exporter after
Thailand, shipped a record 5.2 million tonnes in 2005.