Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 27) — The Palace said that Vietnam has assured long-term supply of rice to the Philippines amid challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Palace said President Rodrigo Duterte and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had a telephone conversation on Tuesday evening during which they both pointed out the importance of maintaining an adequate supply of rice to fight COVID-19.
The Palace added that during the earlier part of the conversation, the Vietnamese leader assured that his government will continue supplying the Philippines with rice.
“We assure you that Vietnam will continue to supply rice to the Philippines on a long-term basis at competitive prices,” Phuc was quoted in the statement.
Duterte thanked Phuc for his commitment and noted that Vietnam is the Philippines’ “vital partner in food security” since it is the country’s top rice importer.
From January to April 2020, the Philippines has imported 728,979.07 metric tons of rice, data from the Bureau of Plant Industry showed. Vietnam was the top source with a total of 632,482.85 MT.
Aside from enough supply of the staple food, Duterte also emphasized the need to have enough supply of medical equipment through the implementation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ initiatives to fight the pandemic, especially the ASEAN Response Fund and the ASEAN Regional Reserve Medical Supplies.
The President has emphasized the said matter during the earlier held Special ASEAN Summit and Special ASEAN Plus Three Summit on COVID-19. He said that the production of medical supplies must be boosted in order to effectively combat the pandemic.
Duterte also recognized the effective response of Vietnam versus COVID-19. He said that both countries can share their best practices with each other.
Meanwhile, Phuc said, “[w]e appreciate the strong measures of the Philippines in fighting COVID-19, including preventing community transmission, implementing community quarantine measures and providing social protection to the Filipino people.”
