'India can be a viable source of imported rice'

The Philippines can turn to India to source more affordable supplies after the South Asian country lifted its export ban on non-Basmati white rice, experts said.

- BY JASPER EMMANUEL ARCALAS

University of Asia and Pacific Center for Food and Agribusiness executive director Marie Annette Dacul said the return of India to the export market would help in easing global rice supply and stabilizing world prices.

For the Philippines, India can serve as an alternative source of imported rice that might be cheaper compared to the stocks offered by traditional suppliers such as Vietnam and Thailand, Dacul said.

"Considering that it is cheaper compared to Vietnam and Thailand, it can be an option for additional rice supply and import diversification," she told The STAR.

Dacul, nonetheless, noted that India, at present, is a "minor" source of the country's rice imports, accounting for less than one percent of the overall volume.