Overview

• India will dispatch a team of leading rice exporters to the Philippines in early September, with pitches also covering onions, potatoes, groundnuts and buffalo meat.
• The Philippines has agreed to remove restrictions on imports of Basmati rice from India following talks led by Agriculture Secretary Francisco P Tiu Laurel Jr.
• Philippine food importers are slated to attend World Food India from September 25–28 and the International Rice Conference on October 30–31 to pursue procurement.
• A Philippine delegation met APEDA and the Indian Rice Exporters Federation earlier this month and signaled a commitment to prioritize purchases from India.
• Despite the Philippines importing $2.52 billion of rice in 2024 and India exporting $11.83 billion of rice in 2024–25, India sold only $48.91 million of rice to the Philippines, with overall Indian farm exports to the market at $413 million.