Laurent Import Export Company announced on Monday a deal to export 460 tonnes of jasmine rice at US$930 a tonne to an undisclosed Portugal-based buyer. The exports, scheduled to begin Wednesday, mark the firm’s entrance into Portugal’s market, company president Lim Bun Heng said. “These shipments will help Cambodian rice to become more widely known on the international market,” he said. Laurent began trial exports to Europe in April with shipments of 138 tonnes to Switzerland and 105 tonnes to Italy. Cambodian firms have increased rice exports to the EU after its elimination of tariffs on rice from developing countries. “The tax exemption is pushing local companies to export larger amounts of rice in the future,” Commerce Ministry Deputy Director General Un Buntha said in March.