January 22, 2008

Vietnam to import 672,000 tonnes of corn this year

Vietnam is expected to import 672,000 tonnes of corn this year to meet growing animal feed demand, state media reported Monday.

The country will need 4.5 million tonnes of corn this year, of which domestic farmers can produce about 3.8 million tonnes, said the Nong Nghiep (Agriculture) newspaper, which is published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

By 2010, Vietnam will need to import 741,000 tonnes of corn, with this rising to 912,000 tonnes by 2015 and 1 million tonnes by 2020, the report said.

Vietnam also plans to import more than 1.8 million tonnes of soymeal this year, increasing to 3 million tonnes by 2020, it added.