Thailand, Vietnam offer to sell rice to Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Thailand and Vietnam yesterday placed bids for the importation of 500,000 metric tons (MT) of rice this year which would be used to augment the country’s buffer stock, the National Food Authority (NFA) said yesterday.

NFA senior executive assistant Dennis Arpia said Thailand, through its Department of Foreign Trade, has placed a bid of of $475 per MT upon warehouse delivery while Vietnam, though state-run Vina Food 2, placed a bid of $462.25 per MT.

The Philippine government is bidding out the supply of 25 percent broken white grain that is well milled and is of new crop — preferably of second semester harvest.

Arpia said Cambodia, among the sources also considered, failed to place a bid.

NFA spokesperson Rex Estoperez said Thailand offered a minimum of 10,000 MT and a maximum of 500,000 MT, while Vietnam offered a minimum of 120,000 MT with the first shipment of 340,000 MT to be delivered not later than Feb. 28, 2014 and the balance of the shipment to be made not later than March 31, 2014.

Following the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda to rice lands in Visayas, the NFA Council approved the importation of 500,000 MT of rice under a government-to government deal to augment the country’s depleted buffer stock.

The imported volume would contribute 14.7 days to the buffer stock based on a daily nationwide consumption of 34,000 MT per day.

The Philippines has existing procurement agreements with Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

The state-run grains procurement agency favors a government-to-government importation because a private sector-led importation entails a longer process.

Damages sustained by the agriculture sector from the onslaught of typhoon Yolanda has risen to P9.73 billion with the rice subsector incurring the highest damage in terms of value.

The super typhoon that demolished rice lands in Regions 6, 7 and 8 has stomped the country’s dream to attain self-sufficiency in the grain by the end of the year.

Demolished by the typhoon were 143, 774 metric tons (MT) of palay planted in 77, 476 hectares, 36, 038 hectares of which may still recover. Production loss was placed at P2.33 billion.