July 4, 2012

Vietnam expects to import two million tonnes corn annually by 2015

Rising from between one million-1.8 million tonnes annually during the past several years, Vietnam is forecast to import two million tonnes of corn yearly by 2015, said Le Ba Lich, chairman of the Animal Feed Association.

The import volume will rise to three million tonnes by 2020 to meet the local demand for animal feed processing, Lich said.

In 2011, the country imported 950,000 tonnes of corn, reducing sharply from 1.8 million tonnes in 2010. During the first five months of this year, Vietnam imported 724,000 tonnes of corn worth US$224 million, said the General Department of Customs.

Vietnam produces around 4.4 million tonnes of corn every year from 1.2 million hectares and 60% of the output is used for human consumption and ethanol production and the remaining 40% of output is purchased by local feed producers, Lich said.

In order to reduce import of corn, Vietnam should allow cultivation of gene-modified corn varieties which are resistant to pests and give higher yield, Lich said, adding most of imported corn from the US, India, and Argentina were GM-varieties.

Planting GM-varieties will bring higher profit for farmers as they will cut spending on pesticides and have higher yield, said Lich.

Vietnam is still to allow growing of GM-crops. The country is conducting experimental cultivation of GM corn varieties in a number of locals.