According to the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), in April 2025, the Ministry issued 10 decisions revoking rice export business licenses previously granted to traders that failed to comply with Decree No. 107/2018/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 01/2025/NĐ-CP.
Earlier, on March 21, 2025, the Minister of Industry and Trade signed Decision No. 831/QĐ-BCT on establishing an inter-agency inspection team to review the rice export operations of traders in the Mekong Delta region.
The establishment of the inspection team was part of the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 21/CĐ-TTg dated March 4, 2025, regarding the management of rice supply and demand amid fluctuations in both domestic and global markets.
It also followed the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà, as stated in Notice No. 99/TB-VPCP dated March 11, 2025 by the Government Office, concerning conclusions from a conference on rice production, markets, and drought-salinity prevention in the Mekong Delta.
Findings of the Inspection Team
The inter-agency inspection team conducted inspections of 44 rice-exporting traders across six provinces and cities—Long An, Tiền Giang, Đồng Tháp, Cần Thơ, An Giang, and Kiên Giang—representing the two major rice-producing regions in Vietnam: the Long Xuyên Quadrangle and Đồng Tháp Mười.
Following the inspections, the MOIT issued Notice No. 83/TB-BCT dated April 16, 2025, summarizing conclusions on the rice export business operations of traders in the Mekong Delta.
Based on the inspection results, the Ministry revoked one rice export business license under Point đ, Clause 1, Article 8 of Decree No. 107/2018/NĐ-CP, citing failure to maintain eligibility conditions for rice export activities.
Additionally, under its state management authority as stipulated in Decree No. 107/2018/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 01/2025/NĐ-CP, and based on data from the General Department of Customs (Ministry of Finance) as well as reports from provincial Departments of Industry and Trade, the MOIT revoked nine more licenses.
The primary reason: traders failed to conduct rice export activities for 18 consecutive months, violating Point d, Clause 1, Article 8 of Decree No. 107/2018/NĐ-CP.
Strengthening Oversight of the Rice Export Sector
At present, 152 traders remain licensed to export rice in Vietnam.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade continues to coordinate with local People’s Committees and relevant state agencies to further verify, clarify, and collect information regarding the 10 affected traders before applying appropriate legal measures.
Moreover, the Ministry is closely monitoring the export performance of all 152 currently licensed traders to ensure strict enforcement of regulations and enhance compliance and efficiency in Vietnam’s rice export sector.