India not concerned about PHL rice import freeze

AN INDIAN official said he was not concerned about the Philippines’ temporary ban on rice imports, saying that each country is entitled to impose measures to serve its own interests.

Sudhanshu, secretary at the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said “Every country is supposed to take care of their national food security. Accordingly, the policy decisions are taken because every country must look to its own people, protect its own industry. So, by imposing the temporary ban, I don’t think it is (of concern).”

The Philippines imposed a 60-day rice import ban starting September to provide relief to farmers, who have had to deal with low prices for their grain offered by traders. Traders had been using cheap imports as leverage to offer low farmgate prices for palay (unmilled rice).

Mr. Sudhanshu said at an appearance at the 2025 Agri-Food Summit in Manila that at any rate, many types of goods have potential to be developed to grow Philippine-Indian trade despite restrictions on certain products from time to time.

India itself imposed an export ban on non-basmati white rice, which it only lifted in September 2024 after a recovery in its domestic inventory.

India is seeking inroads into the rice market of the Philippines, the world’s largest rice importer. It had previously been disadvantaged by favorable tariffs enjoyed by Southeast Asian rice producers, though the tariffs have since been equalized for exporters outside ASEAN, leveling the playing field.

Tarun Bajaj, director of the Basmati Export Development Foundation, said India has the potential to export many commodities to the Philippines because of the variety of its soils and climates, as well as its scale.

“All seasons are there; all soil types are there. So that’s why we have the huge production base. That base gives us an advantage to export our produce to the world, not only to the Philippines,” he said, noting that India’s global agricultural exports amount to $51 billion.

Mr. Bajaj said India will wait out the rice import ban and explore other areas of cooperation for the time being.

“We can help increase productivity and their production. We also learn some good things from Philippines for India; that mutual technological development cooperation is what we are always willing to do it because we are two friendly nations,” Mr. Bajaj said.

Mr. Sudhanshu said India is willing to learn the peculiarities of the Philippine market to grow its exports here.

“The exporter always tries to understand the ecosystem in the importing country, and the importer basically tells their requirement what kind of product they require, what kind of customization. Such kinds of business-to-business interaction help in increasing the trade,” Mr. Sudhanshu said.

India imports $46 billion worth of commodities, including processed foods from the Philippines.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. paid a state visit to India in August. — Andre Christopher H. Alampay