Effective October 1, 2026, traders exporting organic rice, parboiled rice, and micronutrient-fortified rice are exempt from several business conditions previously applied to conventional rice. Alongside lowering barriers to market entry, the new regulations place a pronounced focus on post-clearance audits, import monitoring, and statutory responsibilities to safeguard domestic supplies.

Broadening market pathways for specialized processed rice

Decree No. 365/2026/NĐ-CP on rice export and import business operations takes effect on October 1, 2026, replacing Decree No. 107/2018/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 01/2025/NĐ-CP. A standout feature of the legal instrument lies not only in procedural adjustments for issuing eligibility certificates, but also in unlocking additional headroom for value-added rice lines while furnishing regulatory agencies with enhanced instruments to track export-import flows and trader fulfillment capacity.

Under Article 3 of Decree 365/2026/NĐ-CP, traders exporting organic rice, parboiled rice, and micronutrient-fortified rice are not required to satisfy prerequisites regarding specialized paddy and rice storage warehouses or milling and processing facilities, as mandated for conventional rice exporters. Instead, traders are permitted to export these rice varieties without a Certificate of Eligibility for Rice Export Business; concurrently, they are exempt from maintaining circulating reserves and fulfilling the reporting responsibilities specified in Article 25 of the decree.

This marks a meaningful regulatory shift for enterprises focused on niche product lines. When business operations center strictly on the specialized rice varieties delineated by the decree, eliminating the obligation to invest in or lease specialized storage and milling infrastructure merely to satisfy certification requirements helps lower market entry costs.

According to assessments by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, this policy aims to encourage product diversification and elevate the value addition of Vietnamese rice. At the same time, it maximizes operational flexibility for businesses producing and exporting premium cultivars and specialty rice, thereby bolstering the competitive standing and brand equity of Vietnamese rice on the global market.

However, the exemption provisions must be applied strictly on a per-commodity basis and do not constitute a blanket waiver across a trader’s entire commercial portfolio. For conventional export rice, the decree continues to mandate that traders possess at least one specialized warehouse for paddy and rice storage and one milling and processing facility that complies with food safety regulations, technical standards, and national technical regulations.

Accordingly, storage warehouses and milling facilities may either be owned by the trader or leased via written contracts; traders that have utilized these facilities to secure eligibility certificates are prohibited from sub-leasing the exact same facilities to other traders applying for certification.

Relaxing business eligibility conditions does not equate to loosening product standards. Article 17 specifies that exported rice must satisfy criteria covering quality, packaging, labeling, bagging, preservation, and traceability in accordance with importing-country regulations, unless the foreign importer specifies alternative requirements. Traders exporting organic rice, parboiled rice, and micronutrient-fortified rice remain obligated to comply with technical processes, standards, and technical regulations governing production, processing, and preservation.

Another notable regulatory pivot involves enterprise self-declaration and accountability regarding application dossiers and operational conditions. Following the issuance of an eligibility certificate by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, local authorities where specialized warehouses are situated will conduct post-licensing inspections within 45 days. Declaring enterprises must accurately reflect real-world operating capacity: while administrative procedures are processed based on submitted dossiers, conditions regarding warehouses and milling facilities will undergo subsequent field verification post-issuance.

Tracking import flows and enterprise creditworthiness

On the import side, traders must formally notify the Ministry of Industry and Trade of their rice import plans and submit supplemental notices whenever operational changes occur. The decree also establishes quarterly, annual, and ad-hoc reporting mechanisms covering import operations. Under transitional provisions, traders engaged in rice import business have 45 days from the effective date of the decree to register their import plans with the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In parallel with enterprise reporting, the Ministry of Finance will furnish periodic rice import and export data on the 15th of each month, or the immediately following business day should the date fall on a weekend or public holiday. This data encompasses declared volumes, values, commodity designations, and details concerning commercial partners, border checkpoints, and customs declaration registration dates. Pairing trader projections with empirical customs data establishes an accurate baseline to monitor inbound and outbound rice flows across the market.

The decree further establishes an evaluation mechanism to score the creditworthiness of rice export traders across a 100-point scale categorized into five tiers, ranging from "very high" to "very low." Assessment criteria span tax obligation compliance, customs regulatory adherence, export track records, reserve maintenance, and reporting timeliness, extending to the development of raw material zones, brand equity, warehouse networks, and logistics integration.

Based on these assessments, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will consolidate and publish trader credit ratings; this outcome serves as one of the core criteria when evaluating traders for participation in government-to-government (G2G) centralized rice export contracts.

However, this credit evaluation system will not take effect immediately on October 1, 2026. Transitional provisions stipulate that appraisals under Article 14 will commence on January 1, 2028, providing businesses with a transition window to proactively organize compliance documentation and upgrade commercial capacity.

Another administrative advantage for businesses is that eligibility certificates issued under prior regulatory frameworks remain valid until their stated expiration dates, eliminating the need for across-the-board reapplications once the new decree enters into force.

Viewed comprehensively, Decree No. 365/2026/NĐ-CP unlocks fresh opportunities for enterprises cultivating specialized rice segments, while post-audit protocols, reserve mandates, and cargo tracking mechanisms continue to tether commercial activities to domestic market stability responsibilities. Real-world efficacy will ultimately depend on how effectively enterprises leverage these relaxed business conditions to upgrade product quality, rather than merely treating the policy as a procedural cost-cutting measure.

Source: Tap chi Kinh te - Tai chinh