PH leads ASEAN buyers of Cambodian rice in 2026 - USDA

The Philippines is the leading buyer of Cambodian milled rice among Southeast Asian countries in 2026 as Manila seeks to diversify its sources of imported rice, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.

The USDA said the increase in Cambodian milled rice exports to the Philippines coincided with a decline in Cambodia's paddy shipments to Vietnam.

“Official milled rice exports, however, are growing quickly, as shipments to the Philippines rise while paddy shipments to Vietnam slow,” the report read.

The Philippines imported 122,102 metric tons (MT) of milled rice from Cambodia from January to August, surpassing Vietnam's 113,801 MT and Malaysia's 64,597 MT, according to the report.

“In 2026, the Philippines began diversifying its suppliers and procuring milled rice directly from Cambodia, reducing Vietnamese mills' demand for Cambodian paddy," the USDA said.

"CRF (Cambodia Rice Federation) data shows milled rice shipments to the Philippines rising from 1,620 MT in January to 26,632 MT in August, for a January–August total of 122,102 MT, compared with about 3,500 MT for all of 2025,” it added.

According to the USDA, paddy exports to Vietnam fell by 13% in the first four months of 2026.

“Shifting from raw paddy to milled rice exports also allows Cambodian millers to capture more value along the supply chain,” it said.

The USDA also cited improved logistics to the Philippines as a factor behind the increase in Cambodian rice exports.

Citing Cambodian rice authorities, the report said another 87,344 MT had already been contracted for delivery to the Philippines from September to December. This would bring the total volume to about 209,000 MT for 2026.

“Manila’s expanded import allocations and government-backed credit are also supporting this trade,” the USDA said.

However, it noted that further growth in shipments could be gradual and would depend on Cambodia's ability to maintain competitive prices.

The Philippines has been seeking to diversify its sources of imported rice. In a separate development, the Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement and USA Rice recently signed an agreement allowing the Philippines to import up to 200,000 MT of rice annually from the United States starting in 2028.

The country's rice import policy, however, has drawn criticism from farmers' groups, which argue that the liberalization of rice imports under the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) of 2019 has contributed to an oversupply of imported rice, depressing farmgate prices and hurting local producers.

The RTL replaced quantitative import restrictions with tariffs and allowed private traders to import rice more freely. — MCG, GMA News

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