Several businesses have been canceling or reducing their orders of rice stored by the government under flexible contracts, mainly due to delays in rice shipments. As of August 1, 20 businesses had canceled or reduced their orders, amounting to about 9,000 tons of rice.
The cancellations were for orders from a batch of 120,000 tons of rice, which the Ministry began accepting on June 11. An analysis of the order confirmation list, which is updated every few days, showed the names of businesses that either canceled their orders or reduced the quantities.
Thirteen businesses, including large and small retailers, rice shops, and food service companies, canceled their orders. Seven businesses reduced their order quantities. For example, a large retailer, Trial Company, reduced their order by 6,000 tons but did not specify why.
A convenience store that canceled two-thirds of its order reported that they were informed by the government that the rice wouldn’t be ready by the August 20 deadline.
For other batches available since late May, targeted at different types of retailers, order updates have not been provided. However, an official confirmed cancellations did occur. It is believed that actual cancellations exceed the reported 9,000 tons.
One rice shop that ordered several tons in early June, expecting to sell between June and August, received only 10 tons by the end of July. The shop expressed frustration, stating it was impossible to sell the ordered quantity in the remaining time, leading to partial cancellations.
At a food policy meeting on July 30, a member noted numerous complaints from retailers about not receiving rice two months after ordering it in early June. Another member pointed out that the initially fast distribution of this rice hasn’t continued.
by MagazineKey4532