HANOI - Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked the government to resume rice exports, but limit the volume to 800,000 tonnes for April and May, the government said in a statement on Tuesday.

The volume will be 40% lower than in the corresponding period last year, the government said, adding that 400,000 tonnes would be exported in April.

The plan is waiting for approval from the government, which announced on March 25 a ban on signing new rice export contracts to ensure sufficient domestic supplies to cope with the coronavirus outbreak.

(Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) ((khanh.vu@thomsonreuters.com; +84 24 38259623;))