Mom Kunthea / Khmer Times

Cambodia’s rice exports to the Philippines surged more than 34-fold in the first eight months of 2026 compared with the full-year figure for 2025, strengthening the Southeast Asian market’s role in Cambodia’s push to expand rice exports and improve supply-chain competitiveness.

Spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Khim Finan said yesterday that Cambodia exported 122,102 tonnes of rice to the Philippines during the first eight months of 2026, accounting for more than 15.4% of the country’s total rice exports of 792,212 tonnes during the period.

The figure is more than 34 times Cambodia’s rice exports to the Philippines for the whole of 2025, he said.

According to the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), another 87,344 tonnes of rice have already been contracted for shipment to the Philippines between September and December. This would bring Cambodia’s total rice exports to the market to around 209,446 tonnes in 2026.

The new market is expected to account for around 20% of Cambodia’s projected rice exports of more than 1 million tonnes this year, surpassing the previous record of 950,321 tonnes exported in 2025.

Finan attributed the growth to demand for Cambodian rice, particularly its quality, as the Philippines seeks to strengthen its food security. He also highlighted close cooperation between Agriculture Minister Dith Tina and Philippine Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr., which has helped strengthen links between the two countries’ governments and private sectors.

The growth is expected to benefit the wider rice value chain, from rice mills and exporters to farmers in producing communities.

Meanwhile, the launch of a 10,000-tonne bulk-carrier shipment for direct rice exports from Cambodia to the Philippines marks a new logistics option for the sector.

The bulk-shipping model is expected to reduce transportation costs and delivery times, helping improve the competitiveness of Cambodian rice exports.

A bulk carrier is a vessel designed to transport large quantities of cargo directly in its holds rather than in containers. For milled rice, the product is packed into bags, bundled and loaded directly into the ship’s cargo holds using cargo-handling equipment.

The approach can reduce costs associated with container rental, container loading labour, and the management and maintenance of empty containers.

Published Date: September 17, 2026