Some traders from the Mekong Delta have reported that a very large volume of rice was transported to Thailand recently without any legal import contract.
The rice consignment was not bought directly by Thai businessmen or importers but moved to Thailand after being purchased by Cambodian traders.
Provinces along border crossings between Vietnam and Cambodia are hot spots for Cambodian traders to buy Vietnamese rice of various varieties, from low to high quality, such as fragrant rice and high quality OM4900 and OM4218.
Cambodian traders then re-sell to Thai traders at a profit. Around 400,000 tons of Vietnamese rice, including 100,000 tons of 5 percent broken rice and low-quality IR 50404 has so far been sent to Thailand via such channels.
Nguyen Trung Kien, deputy head of Vietnam Food Association, confirmed the above news to a Saigon Giai Phong newspaper reporter.
Kien added that rice being sold to Thailand in such manner is cause of rice prices shooting up in the country. He also emphasized that it will be a disadvantage for the country if the supply runs short and also warned of a hike in food prices around the world.
