Asked if the target had been revised down, Minister Cao Duc Phat told Reuters: "No, it stays at that level." 

The export price of Vietnam’s 5% broken rice is currently hovering around US$370 per tonne, up US$30 compared to April, according to Pham Van Bay, vice president of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).

 - Vietnam earned 215 million USD from seafood exports to the United States in the first four months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 26.3 percent.

 - Since the start of this year, Vietnam has exported more than 2.1 million tonnes of rice, earning US$983 million, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).

 On 13th April, the Prime Minister signed the Decision No. 481/QD-TTg to allow businesses to purchase maximum 200,000 tons of coffee for temporary storage of the 2009-2010 crop . Accordingly, the duration of purchasing coffee is planned to be from April 15th to July 15th.

The vegetable and fruit sector has set an export target of US$482 million for this year, an increase of 10 per cent over last year's.

Vietnam's 2010/2011 coffee crop will be little changed from the latest harvest as lower investment by farmers due to weak prices will hurt yields, a major exporter said on Friday.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has urged provincial authorities in the Hong (Red) River Delta to stamp out ragged stunt and yellow black stunt, which hinder rice growth in the region.

By May 2010, Vietnam will have exported 150,000 tonnes of high - grade rice to Iraq.