Japan Considering Rice Export To Sri Lanka

The Japanese government is considering a request from Sri Lanka to export up to 200,000 MT of its imported rice supplies to help Colombo ease acute domestic food shortages.

Japan is already considering using some of its stockpile of foreign rice to help countries struggling to find enough food to feed their people.  Tokyo is also mulling a request to sell 200,000 MT from its 1.5 million MT of imported rice to the Philippines.

Food shortages have sparked protests and even riots in some countries and export limits in others, hurting developing countries where food costs consume the lion's share of household income.