World number two rice exporter Vietnam said on Tuesday it has resumed exporting the grain but did not give an upper limit on how much exporters would be allowed to ship.
"We have allowed food companies in the Mekong Delta-based provinces to resume exports if they have contracts to execute and their prices are in line with our guidance," said Nguyen Thai Nugget, general secretary of the Vietnam Food Association.
She gave no details or timeframe for the new export policy but traders said contracts of between 2,000 tonnes and 3,000 tonnes each had been allowed. In late July, Vietnam banned all rice transactions after exporters signed up for the entire temporary limit of 3.5 million tonnes for 2004.
A senior official at the trade ministry told Reuters the government has not yet fixed a new limit on the grain shipment. He declined to say if the ministry would issue a new export target this month, as was widely expected by exporters and foreign buyers in Vietnam.
Officials have said the ban in July was to ensure food security in the country of 81 million people who rely on rice as a staple food.
On the other hand, the grain export curb is aimed at reducing pressure on Vietnam's fast-rising consumer prices. Inflation in the 12 months through August is estimated at around 10 percent.