A Filipino farmer scoops rice grains in the country's Cagayan province (Photo: AFP) Hanoi (VNA) - The Philippine government is seeking to import 300,000 tonnes of rice to ensure sufficient domestic supply as the country is trying to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on March 31
The Philippine Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases has got President Rodrigo Duterte's approval for a government-to-government rice purchase arrangement, he added.
The Department of Agriculture and other government agencies has been reaching out to Southeast Asian rice suppliers to negotiate for a deal.
The Philippines became the world's biggest rice importer in 2019 with purchases estimated at a record of 2.9 million tonnes. It usually purchases rice from Vietnam and a certain amount from Thailand.
Global food security concerns are mounting as some governments contemplate restricting the flow of staple foods to fight the widening COVID-19 pandemic.
Cambodia will also ban some rice exports to ensure local food security amid complicated developments of the disease./.
