The Philippines, the world’s biggest rice importer, said on Monday that it planned to buy at least 600,000 tonnes of rice in a record tender next month, a move that international rice traders said would push up global rice prices.

Manila is boosting supplies in an attempt to avert potential shortages caused by recent typhoons in the country’s main rice-producing areas. Such shortfalls would have serious political implications in presidential polls being held in May next year.