Vietnam has once again clinched the top prize at the “World’s Best Rice 2023” competition held in Cebu, Philippines, as part of the International Rice and Grain Conference TRT 2023.
The information, provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam on November 30, reveals that Vietnam’s ST25 rice, also known as Ong Cua ST25, secured the first prize in the 15th edition of the global competition organized by The Rice Trader.
This year’s competition featured 30 rice samples from over 10 countries. The results saw Vietnam’s rice taking the first place, followed by Cambodian rice in second place and Indian rice in third.
Notably, this is the second time that the ST25 brand has won the title of the world’s best rice, with the first win occurring in 2019.
According to Mr. Ho Quang Cua, the current ST25 rice variety (line 72-6) is the result of research and selection through pure cultivation of each rice individual, differing from the ST25 that competed in 2019 (line 68-10).
The ST25 rice samples for this year’s competition were cultivated on a 2.6-hectare scale along the Tien Cuong canal in Tien Cuong hamlet, Thanh Thoi An commune, Tran De district, Soc Trang province, during the Summer-Autumn crop of 2023.
In the 15 editions of the “World’s Best Rice” competition, Thailand leads with six victories, followed by Cambodia with five, the United States and Vietnam with two each (some years having shared winners), and Myanmar with one.
The “World’s Best Rice” competition is an annual international event organized by The Rice Trader (USA), first held in 2009. Its goal is to explore directions and trends for the rice market.
The recognition of Vietnam’s rice as the best in the world further affirms its quality and reputation in the international market.
Engineer Ho Quang Cua, one of the representatives with the winning rice variety, received the award in the Philippines.
Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture reveal that Vietnam’s rice export value for the first 11 months of 2023 reached $4.41 billion, a 36% increase compared to the same period in 2022.
It’s noteworthy that the prices of various Vietnamese rice types are currently at “record highs,” such as 5% broken rice selling at $663/ton, 25% broken rice at $643/ton, and Jasmine rice at $748/ton.
