The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
11:01 JST, September 5, 2024
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan’s Agriculture Ministry held a meeting with farmers, agricultural cooperatives, wholesalers and food producers on Wednesday to exchange views on the shortage of rice in stores.
Participants shared information on current rice stocks and sales prospects to ensure smooth distribution of rice.
The ministry explained that in general there is no tight supply-demand situation for rice.
One farmer said there is no choice but to raise prices due to rising costs and “prices are getting closer to a fair level.”
A wholesaler said that “if rice prices remain high, consumption will decline.”
At the end of June, the country’s private sector rice stocks stood at 1.56 million tonnes, the lowest level since comparable data became available in 1999.
In August, it was difficult to buy rice in some areas and stores after people flocked to stock up on rice following a warning of a possible major earthquake in the Nankai Trench off Japan’s Pacific coast.
