The National Food Authority (NFA) has the option to buy another 62,500 tonnes of rice over the next six months at prices offered during Wednesday's state tender for 250,000 tonnes, a government official said Thursday.

''Under the law, we are allowed to re-order 25 percent of the tendered volume,'' said Rex Estoperez, spokesman at the NFA.

''The prices are valid for six months and if prices at the tender are better than market prices six months from now, we can re-order,'' he said.

Korean trading firm Daewoo International Corp. gave the lowest bid of $468.50 a ton, cost and freight, to supply 100,000 tonnes of 25 percent broken white rice, from Thailand and Vietnam, for arrival between January and April.

Vinafood 2, Vietnam's largest rice exporter, submitted the second-lowest offer if $480 a ton, C&F, for 150,000 tons of the same rice grade for arrival in January.

Coming in third was Toepfer International Asia Pte Ltd which offered to sell 100,000 tonnes of rice from multiple origins at $534.99 a tonne, C&F.

Vinafood 2 also bid to supply another 100,000 tonnes – with delivery split between February and March – at $537 per tonne, the fourth-lowest offer.

Estoperez said NFA was ''most likely'' to award the 250,000 tonnes supply deal to Daewoo, at 100,000 tonnes, and Vinafood 2, at 150,000 tonnes after they gave the two lowest bids.

The Philippines, the world's biggest rice buyer, has imported 1.775 million tonnes of the national staple this year, lower than a record 2.3 million tonnes in 2008 which helped drive prices to record highs.

Of the 2009 total, 1.5 million tonnes was bought from Vietnam via a government-to-government deal.

Demand from the Philippines and other importers like Iraq and India are expected to keep rice prices firm through 2010.

But industry players say prices probably won't rise as much as they did in 2008 when export curbs by key producers drove up Thailand's benchmark 100 percent B white rice to an all-time peak of $1,080 per ton.

Meanwhile, the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) will import 30,000 tonnes of mostly top-quality rice, with possible sources including Thailand and Vietnam, for arrival until Jan. 31, 2010, an official said Thursday.

PITC will be importing the grain on behalf of private firms and cooperatives, which pay PITC a service fee. The country's main grain-importing arm, the National Food Authority, gave the trading agency authority to import the rice volume.

The rice grades that can be imported by PITC include white rice 100 percent A and B, 5 percent brokens, basmati rice and Thailand's jasmine rice, Edgardo Bernardo, head of imports at PITC, told Reuters.