The National Food Authority (NFA) on Monday said 19 suppliers from Southeast Asia have signified their interest to participate in the auction for 250,000 metric tons (MT) of imported rice required by the government.
Of the 19 companies that will join the open tender on July 25, the NFA said 10 are from Vietnam, six from Thailand, two from Singapore and one from Myanmar.
“Those from Vietnam are Vietnam Southern Food Corp. II; Gentraco; Gia International Corp.; Vietnam Northern Food Corp. [Vinafood I]; Phan Min Investment Production Trading Services Co. Ltd.; Hiep Loi Food Jsc; Thuan Minh Import Export Corp.; Wilman Trading; Thao Minh Chau Production Trading Co. Ltd.; and Tan Long Group Joint Stock Co.,” the NFA said in a
press statement.
“From Thailand, interested bidders are Ponglarp Co. Ltd.; Thai Hua Co. Ltd.; Capital Cereals Co. Ltd.; Asia Golden Rice Co. Ltd.; Thai Granlux International. Inc.; and Thai Capital Crops Co. Ltd.,” it added.
Also keen on supplying the country’s rice requirement are Singaporean companies, Olam International Ltd. and Louis Dreyfus Co., and Myanmar-based Swhe Wah Yaung Agriculture Production Co. Ltd., according to the NFA.
The NFA has scheduled the proper bidding process on July 25. The government is spending P5.637 billion to import rice and prop up its dwindling buffer stock during the lean months, when rice harvest goes down significantly.
“Reference price for the importation had been set at $451.08 per MT based on the foreign-exchange rate of $1=P50. Bids shall be priced in US dollars per MT based on Cost Insurance and Freight, Delivered at Place Free on Warehouse up to the designated NFA warehouse,” the NFA said.
“Opening of the bids and award of contract to a bidder shall be based on the lowest calculated responsive bid price on a per lot basis,” it added.
On July 6 the NFA published the terms of reference (TOR) for the purchase and supply of 250,000 MT of 25-percent broken well-milled long grain white rice of omnibus origin under the government-to-private sector scheme. Under the TOR, the NFA said prospective bidders will vie for the imported volume on a lot basis.
“Prospective bidders may bid for any of the lots, provided that the bid must be the minimum/maximum of the imported rice allocated per lot, but the maximum quantity to be awarded per supplier must not be higher than 50,000 MT,” it read.
The NFA divided the delivery of the 250,000 MT of rice into two periods: August and September. The NFA said 120,000 MT of rice should arrive within August, while the remaining 130,000 MT should arrive by September.
The agency said winning bidders will be subjected to postqualification evaluation on July 27 and 28. “If they qualify, the Notice of Award shall be issued on July 31, and a Notice to Proceed shall be issued on August 3.”