AKP Phnom Penh, November 16, 2025 --

Large supplies of exportable rice have fuelled intense competition among exporters and driven down international rice prices continuously since May, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) says.

In its biannual Food Outlook report on global food markets released in Rome on Friday, the FAO says world rice trade has regained momentum since last year amid abundant exportable availabilities.

Other factors fueling trade activity have been reduced stockpiles in importing countries and the lifting of India’s export restrictions. 

But world rice trade is forecast to fall 1.1 percent from this year to 61.1 million tonnes in the coming year with several importers relying on sufficient domestic supplies to meet consumption needs or stabilise consumer prices.

“Apart from Brazil, India, Uruguay, and Viet Nam, most rice-exporting countries are expected to see their shipments stagnate or decline in 2026, constrained by weaker demand in their traditional markets and/or a reduced competitive edge,” the FAO says.

On the import side, “Indonesia’s continued absence from the market and the Philippines’ September imposition of restrictions on non-specialty rice imports have tended to exacerbate the downward price pressure exerted by the supply glut.”

As a result, the FAO All Rice Price Index averaged 98.4 points in October — 7.5 percent below its May level and its lowest level since December 2021.

By Sao Da