Agreements for 250,000 metric tons will be signed from the end of this month, about two months earlier than usual, according a statement posted late yesterday on the Vietnamese government’s website.

Vietnam is the world’s second-largest shipper after Thailand.

The Philippines has advanced tenders for next-year supplies after the storms cut output, bolstering futures in Chicago.

The National Food Authority will hold a tender for 250,000 tons on Nov. 4 after initially planning the purchase for Oct. 30.

The Philippine purchases will boost the price of Vietnam’s 25 percent broken-grain variety, the most common type bought by the nation, the government statement said, without giving a precise forecast.

Philippine imports in 2010 from all states may gain 13 percent from about 1.8 million tons this year, it said.

Vietnamese exporters have contracted to ship 6 million tons of rice so far this year, the statement said, citing the Vietnam Food Association.

Exporters have shipped 5 million tons in the first nine months, according to government figures.

Shipments to African countries reached 1.4 million tons between January and September, 98 percent more than a year earlier, the statement said.

Exports to the Middle East rose 65 percent to 250,000 tons in the same period, it said.

Bloomberg - October 20, 2009