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.

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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).