Việt Nam's premium rice enters Canadian market

The ST25 rice variety was developed in Việt Nam by agricultural engineer Hồ Quang Cua and his team. — VNA/VNS Photo Bảo An

OTTAWA – A logistic company run by two Vietnamese-Canadians has become the sole distributor of the Vietnamese ST25 rice variety in the Canadian market.

KD Trading partnered with ST25 producers to import the rice to Canada after thorough market research.

The company has also developed specific and long-term strategies for ST25 to be accepted in the new market, said CEO Kevin Le.

ST25 was awarded the title “World’s Best Rice” in 2019 and 2023.

It was developed in Việt Nam by agricultural engineer Hồ Quang Cua and his team, and is also known under the name ‘Mr Cua’s rice’.

Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in Canada Trần Thu Quỳnh said that the trade office highly appreciates the role of overseas Vietnamese enterprises in bringing Vietnamese rice products to the Canadian market.

Previously, Vietnamese enterprises had tried to export rice to Canada, but only those with modest quality, she said. Vietnamese businesses in Canada have been making the efforts to bring high-quality, branded rice products such as ST25 to this market, she said.

Canada is a fairly large rice consuming market, with an import demand of about 500,000 tonnes per year. The country also has strict requirements on rice quality.

It is necessary to have the coordination of all parties, including the trade office, exporters, importers and distributors to ensure quality of the imported rice, Quỳnh said.

In the first half of this year, Canada spent more than US$207 million on importing rice, an increase of 5 per cent over the same period in 2023.

Việt Nam currently ranks in the top five rice exporters to Canada with an export turnover of about $6.5 million.