The Commerce Ministry is pushing to close a price deal with COFCO (China's state buyer) for 60,000 more tonnes of rice, on top of the 500,000-tonne G-to-G order the cabinet approved on 5 August 2026. If agreed, it adds a buyer for the main-crop harvest arriving late in the year and may lift paddy prices for farmers. Rice millers, traders and suppliers should watch for price terms and the contract amendment expected by year-end. The ministry targets 7 million tonnes of exports this year. No deal has been signed yet, so do not price contracts on it.