From Myanmar Donating Rice to Philippines’ Rice Deal with Vietnam: Here are the Top Rice News of the Day

By Megha Bajaj

Myanmar Donates 500 Tonnes Of Rice To Support Cyclone-Affected People of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka had been hit by Cyclone Ditwah in late November 2025, affecting about 8 per cent of the Island nation’s population. Notably, the country launched a national rebuilding program to guide the country’s recovery and reconstruction. It is known as Rebuilding Sri Lanka. In the midst of this, Myanmar entered the scene and held a ceremony at Yangon Port to donate 500 tonnes of rice (10,000 bags ) to people cyclone-affected people in Sri Lanka. The event was graced by the presence of senior Myanmar officials, the Sri Lankan Ambassador, and representatives of the Myanmar Rice Federation, with a formal handover of donation documents and expressions of gratitude by the Sri Lankan ambassador to Myanmar.

APEDA Resumes Rice Export Registration to the Philippines, Senegal After Import Curbs Lifted

Notably, Senegal, Africa’s-largest rice importer and a fast-growing market for Vietnamese rice, had dismissed rice imports for one month to support domestic producers in December 2025. Moreover, the Philippines halted rice imports for 60 days from September 1 to October 30, which hurt Thai exports. Undoubtedly, it was an attempt to stabilise prices during the domestic harvest. But now, the countries lifted curbs on rice imports, India’s agri export promotion body APEDA has resumed registering export contracts for non-Basmati rice to both countries with immediate effect. The body stated in a notice on Wednesday that it has resumed the issuance of Registration-Cum-Allocation Certificates (RCAC) for the export of non-Basmati rice to Senegal.

Philippines Plans to sign 2.5 Million-Tonnes rice deal with Vietnam

Philippines is one of the world’s largest rice importers since domestic rice production consistently falls short of demand. Interestingly, rice is the staple food for its large population, yet climate risks, limited arable land, and production flaws make self-sufficiency difficult. If we talk about Vietnam, the country is one of the world’s top rice exporters, accounting for the largest share of rice shipped to the Philippines. It represents around 70-80% of the Philippines’ total rice imports. At present, the Philippines plans to sign an agreement to import an initial 2.5 million tonnes of rice from Vietnam as part of its 2026 procurement strategy. The country is expected to do rice imports of 3.6 million tonnes in 2026, with 75-80% likely to come from Vietnam, as per the information disclosed during a recent meeting between the Philippines Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. and Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in the Philippines Le Chu Cuong. Additionally, the event covered multiple areas of cooperation, with rice trade identified as the main focus.