Philippines 'in talks with Vietnam, India for rice imports'In this photo taken on July 19, 2023, workers plant varieties of rice being developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos town, Laguna province. (Photo: AFP)MANILA: The Philippines is in talks to import rice from Vietnam and India as the Southeast Asian nation seeks to boost its buffers and lower prices, an agriculture official said. "This will hopefully pave the way for the country to get better terms for the additional 300,000 metric tonnes to 500,000 metric tonnes of rice importation for this year," the official said. The additional purchase may lower rice prices for the Philippines as it will boost national inventory, which even without imports, is expected to last for 52 to 57 days by the end of the year, Panganiban said. Agriculture officials in December said rice imports this year will likely reach around 2.5 million metric tonnes, from about 3.5 million metric tonnes in 2022.
