Rice exporters warn of sharp price falls as Philippines halts imports
Vietnam expects to export about eight million tonnes of rice in 2025, potentially ranking second globally, but faces risks from the Philippines halting imports. With a large upcoming harvest, exporters warn domestic prices may fall and urge market reopening, stockpiling support, and diversification into West Asia and Africa.
Speaking at the 2025 prime minister’s dialogue with Vietnamese farmers, Do Ha Nam, chairman of Intimex Group, said Vietnam is expected to export about eight million tonnes of rice in 2025, potentially ranking second globally, but faces mounting challenges.
Nam said Vietnam shipped about three million tonnes of rice to the Philippines this year, making it the country’s largest export market. However, the Philippines has halted imports for the past three months and is expected to resume briefly in January 2026 with about 300,000 tonnes before stopping again.
Vietnam is meanwhile set to harvest around four million tonnes in the upcoming winter-spring crop. If the Philippine market remains closed, domestic rice prices could fall and exporters may struggle to secure outlets.
Nam urged the Vietnamese government to work with Manila to reopen the market. He also called for large and state-owned firms to be allowed to purchase and store rice for up to six months to prevent further price declines.
He proposed shifting focus to west Asian markets such as Iraq and Syria, as well as several African countries.
According to the customs department, Vietnam exported more than 7.53 million tonnes of rice in the first 11 months, worth USD3.85 billion. Compared with the same period last year, volumes fell 10.9 per cent while export value dropped 27.4 per cent.
A report by the ministry of agriculture and environment showed the Philippines remained Vietnam’s largest rice market, accounting for 39.8 per cent of exports. Ghana and Ivory Coast followed with shares of 12.8 per cent and 11.5 per cent.
Export value to the Philippines in the first 10 months of 2025 fell sharply by 34.9 per cent year on year. Other markets also recorded declines, including Indonesia down nearly 96.4 per cent and Malaysia down 32.5 per cent.
In contrast, rising shipments to Ghana up 52.6 per cent, China up 165.1 per cent, Bangladesh up nearly 238.5 times and Senegal up about 73 times helped offset falls in Indonesia, Cuba and Malaysia.
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Source : DTI News
