March 10, 2008
Philippines asks China to allow wheat imports
The Philippines has formally requested a one-time import allocation of 200,000 tonnes of wheat from China to help ease the rising cost of local flour, a flour milling industry executive said Monday ( March 10, 2008).
The Chinese government has yet to respond to the request, signed by Trade Secretary Peter Favila, said Ric Pinca, executive director of the Philippine Association of Flour Millers, Inc.
If granted, shipment of the import allocation would be undertaken in several tranches, Pinca said.
Pafmil asked the trade department to negotiate an import allocation from the Chinese government on the group's behalf last month, he said.
The request was prompted by sharp increases in prices for wheat from the U.S., a traditional source of the country's food wheat imports.
China's proximity to the Philippines would help mitigate rising wheat import costs, Pinca said.
China has sharply curtailed grain exports to ward off rising inflation at home.