Philippines to import additional 300,000 MT of rice

The Philippine government plans to increase its rice imports by additional 300,000 metric tonnes (MT) to ensure supply to ease possible shortage which will be caused by storms in the second half of the year.


If the government approves the additional imports volume, this will be on top of the 860,000 MT that is expected to enter the country, local media Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on Monday.


Earlier this year, the Southeast Asian country said it plans to cut rice imports for 2011 because it still had enough stock stored from previous years.


The Philippines is the world's biggest rice importer last year, having brought in 2.13 million tonnes of the commodity in 2010 after the El Nino dry spell cut down production by 3.04 percent to 15.77 million MT.
(Source:http://news.xinhuanet.com)