VIETNAM

Rice Production Up Despite Floods: Vietnam produced 21.5 million tons of rice last year, nearly 1.6 million more than in 1991, and exported more than 1.4 million tons despite floods that destroyed many crops, according to an official newspaper. The Vietnam News said last week that farmers had increased production by planting new high-yield rice, using more modern planting techniques and tapping more than $100 million in loans from the government. That included $60 million in loans for farmers in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, which produced nearly 11 million tons of rice in 1992. Vietnam, which exported 1.1 million tons of rice in 1991, used to be a rice importer.