Nguyen Nhu Cuong, Director of the Crop Production Department, announced that Vietnamese rice has won the title of the World's Best Rice in 2023. "This year, three Vietnamese companies submitted six types of rice for the competition. Among them, the private enterprise Ho Quang Tri submitted ST24 and ST25 rice; Loc Troi Group submitted LT28 and Nang Hoa 9 rice; Thai Binh Seeds Group submitted TBR 39-1 and A Sao sticky rice. In the final results, Vietnamese rice emerged as the world's best, followed by Cambodian rice in second place and Indian rice in third place," shared Mr. Cuong. It is noteworthy that this is the second time ST25 rice has won the top prize in this competition.
The ST25 rice from Vietnam reaffirms its quality on the international stage
According to Mr. Cuong, the recognition of Vietnamese rice, particularly ST25, as the world's best rice once again reaffirms the quality and reputation of Vietnamese rice in the international market. In recent years, ST25 has become one of the renowned high-quality rice varieties in Vietnam, gaining popularity among domestic and international consumers. Last year, a fried rice dish made with ST25 rice from Vietnam became a "special lunch" at the Japanese Cabinet Office. This rice variety is introduced as a famous fragrant and delicious rice from Vietnam.
The first batch of ST25 rice from Mr Cua has entered the UK market.
The entry of Mr Cua Rice ST25 into the UK market is a testament to the affirmation of the quality and position of Vietnamese rice in the global market. In the upcoming development strategy, EUTEK Group aims to focus on promotion to distribute various rice and specialty products from Vietnam in this market. Particularly, the official implementation of the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UK FTA) in May 2021 has been a driving force accelerating rapid trade growth between the two markets. Hồ Quang Cua, the creator of ST25 rice, also mentioned that the company had previously exported 2 containers of Mr Cua Rice ST25to Australia, receiving positive feedback from consumers. Currently, several countries are expressing interest in purchasing ST25 rice, and Mr Cua is considering collaborations before finalizing any agreements.
The journey of ST25 rice to Japan
To bring ST25 rice into the Japanese market, Vietnamese businesses have had to surpass more than 600 stringent technical standards, along with the high requirements of Japanese consumers. This underscores that Vietnam not only exports a large quantity of rice but also exports high-quality rice that meets the very strict standards of discerning markets like Japan.
The price of ST25 rice exported to Japan is over 1,200 USD per ton. Distributors are considering purchasing approximately 1,000 tons of rice per year to increase the retail scale in supermarkets.
After Japan, Australia, and the UK, ST25 rice under the brand "Mr Cua" will officially enter the U.S. market
On November 10, the private enterprise Ho Quang Tri announced that on November 9, 2023, the first batch of Mr Cua Rice ST25 was officially exported to the U.S. It is anticipated that in early January 2024, Mr Cua Rice ST25 will be available in supermarkets in Vietnam and Asian markets in California, especially in the San Jose area, where a significant Vietnamese community resides.
Mr Cua ST25 rice will be supplied to consumers in the U.S. through the distribution partner Lee Bros Food Services, which is also the company behind Lee's Sandwiches, a well-known chain of stores.
The plan is to export 9 million tons of high-quality rice annually
Mr. Ho Quang Cua, the creator of ST25 rice, expresses the desire for ST25 to be included in the project "Sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality rice cultivation with low emissions linked to green growth in the Mekong Delta until 2030." This initiative aims to enhance the quality of Vietnamese rice in the future. Recently, the rice industry received positive news when Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang approved the project "Sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality rice cultivation with low emissions linked to green growth in the Mekong Delta until 2030." High-quality rice sources will contribute to improving the competitive capacity of Vietnamese rice in the international market. To gain market share, Vietnamese rice needs to compete in terms of price, quality, food safety, brand, and reputation. Having high-quality rice allows us to choose export markets more effectively.
According to engineer Ho Quang Cua, the counterfeiting of ST25 rice is attributed to the stringent process of creating a "birth certificate" for a rice variety, which is time-consuming and delays the certification of copyright for a new rice variety. Due to these delays, some businesses take advantage of the lack of "ownership" certification for the new rice variety to introduce similar rice products into the market, capitalizing on the popularity of varieties like ST25. Unable to litigate the brand indefinitely, in 2020, Ho Quang Cua decided to take measures such as packaging, labeling, and registering the trademark "Gạo Mr Cua ST25."
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