Philippines demand boosts Cambodia rice exports

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ growing demand for rice has fueled a sharp increase in Cambodian rice exports as Manila seeks to diversify its imported rice sources, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

In a report, the USDA said the Philippines has become Cambodia’s largest market for milled rice within the ASEAN region for 2026.

Philippine imports of milled rice from Cambodia totaled 122,102 metric tons from January to August, which was significantly higher compared to the 3,500 MT for the whole of 2025.

It also noted that Cambodia’s paddy rice exports to Vietnam fell by 13 percent in the first four months.

The USDA said the rise in milled rice shipments to the Philippines, the world’s biggest rice importer, coincided with a decline in paddy rice shipments to Vietnam.

“Official milled rice exports are growing quickly, as shipments to the Philippines rise while paddy shipments to Vietnam slow,” the international agency noted.

The report noted that Vietnam had traditionally milled Cambodian rice and re-exported it to the Philippines.

Hanoi had previously purchased wet paddy rice from Phnom Penh and processed it through domestic millers. The finished products were then re-exported to the Philippines.

The USDA, however, said the Philippines has been diversifying its suppliers and procuring milled rice directly from Cambodia, causing reduced demand from Vietnamese mills.

“Shifting from raw paddy to milled rice exports also allows Cambodian millers to capture more value along the supply chain,” it added.

The USDA said that bulk orders from the Philippines have allowed Cambodia to lower costs per ton and shorten delivery times compared to containerized cargo.

Further expansion in exports to the Philippines may be gradual and reliant on Phnom Penh maintaining competitive prices, the international agency said, citing industry sources.

“Manila’s expanded import allocations and government-backed credit are also supporting this trade,” it said.

It added that another 87,344 MT has already been contracted for delivery to the Philippines from September through December, which could bring total shipments to about 209,000 MT.