Nearly 15,500 tonnes of rice allocated for 17 provinces

Seventeen provinces across the country will be provided with nearly 15,500 tonnes of rice to allocate for local residents during the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday and the between-crop period in early 2024, said Deputy Director of the General Department of State Reserves (GDSR) Nguyen Thi Pho Giang at a press conference held on January 22.

Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA)

The volume includes 12,876 tonnes of rice for 17 provinces during Tet and 2,618 tonnes of rice for five provinces, namely Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Quang Binh, Dak Lak and Dak Nong, during the between-crop period.

As of January 18, over 3,545 tonnes of rice were handed over to Soc Trang province, the GDSR said, adding that the rice inventory is enough for localities in unexpected and urgent situations and during Tet.

The GDSR is developing a plan to purchase 240,000 tonnes of rice for State reserves in 2024. After receiving approval from the Prime Minister, it will direct units to implement the plan, ensuring enough resources to carry out tasks in line with the objectives prescribed in the Law on National Reserve, as well as proactively and effectively respond to every unexpected and urgent circumstances and prevent food shortages during between-crop periods, natural disasters and epidemics./.

VNA