Philippines to tender rice from Thailand or Viet Nam

The Philippines will ask Thailand and Viet Nam to submit tenders to supply the country with 100 000 tonnes of rice, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala told the Manila Standard Today newspaper in late May. Which country wins the bid in the government-to-government deal will depend upon which offers the best price, he said. Thai rice is considerably more expensive than rice from Viet Nam, with 5 percent broken rice from Thailand selling for USD 602 a tonne in May compared with USD 434 a tonne for Viet Nam’s rice. Thailand’s 100 percent white grade B, the industry benchmark, was selling for USD 613 a tonne. Alcala said the purchase was within the government’s goal to not exceed 500 000 tonnes for imports of rice in 2012.