MANILA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Asian rice prices may jump another 5 to 10 percent this week after suppliers hiked prices at an import tender in the Philippines by as much as 10 percent, piling pressure on the world's biggest buyer as it seeks to cover 2010 needs.
   Offers at a Philippine state tender for 600,000 tonnes of 25 percent broken grade white rice on Tuesday -- the second of three of the same volume scheduled for December -- ranged from a low of $618.95 a tonne, cost and freight, to a high of $768.50.
   At the Dec 1 tender, the offers ranged between $598 and $697 a tonne, up as much as 28 percent from a Nov 4 tender when Manila began buying for 2010 supplies with 250,000 tonnes.

 The offers were "really high," said Ludovico Jarina, deputy administrator of state grain agency National Food Authority (NFA).
   "But I'm not really surprised because you are looking at the world market and the world market price is moving up," he said, adding the government had the option to either make a partial award or none at all after it evaluated the bids.
   Philippine demand boosted benchmark Thai rice <RI-THWHB-P1> more than 7 percent to $606 a tonne last week, and traders say it could rise another 5-10 percent this week after Manila's tender.
   "There is no one buying except the Philippines for low-grade 25 percent brokens in the world in these quantities, so it's definitely driving the market up," said Protik Guha, executive director at Indian commodity trading firm Amira Group.
   The Philippines will announce the results of Tuesday's tender within 10 working days. It has up to Dec 15 to release the results of the earlier Dec 1 tender but officials earlier said they may award only between 500,000-520,000 tonnes of that tender.
   
   CANCEL AND GO G2G
   Vinafood 2, Vietnam's largest rice exporter, submitted the lowest offer of $618.95 to supply 100,000 tonnes of rice.
   Only Vinafood 2 offered prices for the entire 600,000 tonnes, while the rest bid to supply at least 100,000 tonnes.
   NFA has budgeted 15.264 billion pesos ($331.5 million) for the purchase, or around $553 a tonne, suggesting the agency may be able to award less than 500,000 tonnes.
   Based on the offers, Vinafood 2 is likely to secure more than 200,000 tonnes, trading firm Toepfer International may be awarded 125,000 tonnes and Korea's Daewoo International another 100,000 tonnes.
   Daewoo offered to supply 70,000 tonnes of Thai rice and 30,000 tonnes of Pakistani rice, both at $668.50 a tonne, the second lowest offer.
   Toepfer offered to sell 100,000 tonnes of Thai rice and 25,000 tonnes of Pakistani rice, both at $689.38 a tonne, the third lowest.
   The rice is for delivery between February and May 2010.
   The surge in prices prompted NFA to increase its import budget for the Dec 15 tender by more than 21 percent.
   Traders say offers next week could rise another $50 to $80 a tonne, in a market which should be seeing stable prices amid bulging stocks.
   "What the Philippines can do is award these tenders and just cancel the next one and go G2G (government-to-government arrangements). That would really take the pressure off the market," said a Pakistani rice exporter.
   "This spike in prices is creating panic and is not supported by true fundamentals. Even the small retail outlets and other big importers are all full of stocks."
   India, whose crop was ravaged by a bad monsoon, has not firmed plans to import rice with hefty stocks and the U.S. Department of Agriculture said there may be no need for large-scale rice imports in marketing year 2009-10. [ID:nN07175976]
   The Philippines, trying to secure 2010 supplies after storms destroyed crops, is targeting to buy 1.8 million tonnes of rice this month, bringing its 2010 imports to 2.05 million tonnes.
   That already exceeds the 2009 total of 1.775 million tonnes and approaches the record 2.3 million tonnes bought in 2008, which helped drive prices to lifetime highs. ($1=46.05 pesos) (Additional reporting by Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat in BANGKOK; Editing by Michael Urquhart)
[7:39:24 AM] Ho Thien Nhien: 12:33 08Dec09 Offers at Philippines rice tender rise further
    MANILA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Five firms offered to sell rice to the Philippines at $618.95-$768.50 a tonne, including cost and freight, at an import tender for 600,000 tonnes on Tuesday, up from offers at a tender for a similar volume last week.
   The tender was the second of three of the same volume scheduled for this month as the world's biggest rice buyer secures 2010 supplies after storms destroyed crops.
   Vinafood 2 submitted the lowest offer of $618.95 to supply 100,000 tonnes of rice, for delivery between February and May. Based on prices, the Vietnamese state firm could secure the bulk of the contract.
   Offers at the Dec. 1 tender ranged between $598 and $697 a tonne, up sharply from $468.50 and $600 at a Nov. 4 tender when Manila began buying for 2010 with an initial 250,000 tonnes.
   Officials at the Philippines' National Food Authority (NFA) said the prices at Tuesday's tender were high and they need not contract for all of the 600,000 tonnes of rice. They said they also had the option not to award any contract at all.