Cambodia Ships First Bulk-Carrier Rice Cargo of 10,000 Tonnes to the Philippines

Cambodia has dispatched its first rice cargo carried by a bulk carrier, a 10,000-tonne consignment loaded at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (PAS) for the Philippines. The send-off ceremony was held on 16 September and the shipment was arranged by City Rice and Dilai Trade, with Dith Tina, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, in attendance, according to Cambodianess as cited by VietnamBiz.

It is the first time Cambodia has used bulk vessel loading rather than containers for rice exports to the Philippines, soha.vn reported. The change is intended to cut freight costs and transit time and to lift the volume the country can move through its deep-sea port.

From containers to ship holds

Khim Finan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said a bulk carrier is designed to move large volumes of cargo loaded directly into the holds without the use of containers. For milled rice, he said, the product is bagged, tied into bundles and then lifted straight into the vessel's holds.

The Cambodian side expects the method to improve efficiency, reduce shipping costs and time, and strengthen the competitiveness of Cambodian rice on international markets, while securing a steady supply of high-quality rice for Philippine buyers. The move follows an instruction from Prime Minister Hun Manet on the use of the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, carried out with the support of the port authority.

Philippines takes 15.4% of Cambodian rice exports

Cambodia exported 790,000 tonnes of rice in the first eight months of 2026, of which the Philippines took 122,201 tonnes, or 15.4% of the total, according to Cambodia Rice Federation figures cited by VietnamBiz. A further 87,344 tonnes have been contracted for export to the Philippines this year.

Khim Finan said the outcome was a sharp gain against last year's record of 940,311 tonnes and reflected the quality of rice produced in Cambodia. Both Vietnamese outlets attribute the opening of the Philippine market to coordination between the government and private companies, including working contacts between Dith Tina and his Philippine counterpart, Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr.

Vietnam's lead and Manila's planned curbs

Philippine import demand remains high. The country brought in 1.68 million tonnes of rice in the first four months of the year, up 18% year on year, as it addressed food security concerns tied to El Nino risk and rising fertiliser costs. Full-year imports are forecast at 5.5 million tonnes, a record.

Vietnam remains the dominant supplier, accounting for more than 86% of Philippine imports in the first four months, with Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia also in the supplier group. At the same time, Manila is weighing domestic market controls, including a price ceiling on imported rice and a cap on monthly import volumes of 150,000-200,000 tonnes during the June-October harvest season.

Price backdrop

Vietnamese export quotations were unchanged on 23 September, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), as reported by VietnamBiz:

• Vietnamese Jasmine rice: $526-530 per tonne
• Vietnamese fragrant rice, 5% broken: $440-445 per tonne
• Vietnamese white rice, 5% broken: $423-427 per tonne
• Thai white rice, 5% broken: $477-481 per tonne, the highest among leading exporters
• Pakistani 5% broken: $419-423; Indian white 5% broken: $375-379; Indian parboiled 5% broken: $377-381 per tonne

In the Mekong Delta, raw rice prices edged higher. IR 504 rose 50 dong per kilogram to 8,650-8,750 dong, while CL 555 gained 100 dong to 8,700-8,800 dong. Broken rice grade 3.4 slipped 50 dong to 8,500-8,550 dong and bran held at 7,350-7,650 dong. Fresh paddy ranged from 5,700-5,900 dong per kilogram for OM 34 to 6,100-6,200 dong for Dai Thom 8, according to the An Giang Department of Agriculture and Environment.