Vietnam surpasses India, Thailand to become Singapore’s top rice supplier

By Thi Ha April 20, 2024 | 09:17 pm PT

Farmers harvest rice in Hanoi in June 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

Vietnam became Singapore’s biggest rice supplier in value terms for the first time with a 32% market share in the first quarter, followed by India and Thailand.

Singapore’s total imports were worth nearly S$112.9 million (US$82.9 million), a 23.86% year-on-year increase, according to Enterprise Singapore.

Vietnam accounted for S$36.15 million following an 80.5% increase from the same period last year. India accounted for S$33.63 million and Thailand for S$33.16 million.

Vietnamese rice has become popular in Singapore mainly thanks to its diverse range and abundant availability.

In addition to high-quality white rice, Vietnam also has an 80% share of the country’s glutinous rice market and 73.3% of its fragrant rice market.

Thailand, India, and Japan are its biggest competitors.

To maintain Vietnam’s spot as Singapore’s top rice supplier, its businesses need to increase promotion and marketing and keep their product quality consistently high, according to the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore.

Signing a memorandum of understanding with Singapore to enhance rice exports to it would also be an effective strategy, it added.