Philippines set to sign rice supply deal with Cambodia
The Philippines is close to signing a government-to-government rice supply agreement that would make Cambodia a potential supplier of the grain staple to Manila, along with Vietnam and Thailand, agriculture officials said on Monday. The Southeast Asian neighbours aimed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on rice supply in early April, similar to Manila’s three-year deal with its major supplier Vietnam, Philippines Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said. The deal would make Cambodia a potential supplier for the 120,000 tonnes of rice the state grain agency, National Food Authority (NFA), is looking to buy in 2012 to increase its buffer stock. “Under the MOU, Cambodia will prioritise us if we need to buy rice for emergency requirements,” Alcala told Reuters in a telephone interview. The NFA has previously said it was considering buying rice this year from Vietnam and Thailand, the world’s biggest exporter. …
