The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is seen in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward in this file photo. (Mainichi)
TOKYO — The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has informally decided to release average prices of rice at supermarkets across Japan by region in addition to the national average it already announces every week.
Over a month and a half has passed since the government started releasing lower-price stockpiled rice in mid-March, but retail prices have remained high. It is believed there are cases where average rice prices have decreased in regions with higher amounts of distributed rice, and by publishing regional prices alongside national averages, the ministry aims to identify which areas are not receiving sufficient amounts of stockpiled rice and use this information to develop future strategies.
Since March 2022, the ministry has been compiling average rice prices based on point-of-sale data from approximately 1,000 supermarkets nationwide, detailing the prices at which specific products are sold. These averages have been released weekly since the summer of 2024.
Details on the new regional price data, such as how many blocks the country will be divided into, have yet to be finalized, but officials are considering relatively large areas, such as the Kanto region in eastern Japan, west Japan’s Kansai region and the Kyushu region to the southwest. The ministry is hastening preparations to begin publishing this data as soon as possible.
The national average price for rice at supermarkets from April 21 to 27 was 4,233 yen (about $29) for 5 kilograms, including tax. This is around double the price from the same period last year and 12 yen (roughly 83 cents) higher than the previous week, marking the 17th consecutive week of price increases, with no signs of the price hikes stopping.
Regarding distribution of stockpiled rice, it has been pointed out that storage facilities are concentrated in eastern Japan, a rice belt in the country, and that it takes time for supplies to reach western Japan. Additionally, rural supermarkets that source rice from local wholesalers have reported that stockpiled rice procured by major wholesalers is not reaching them. In response, the government revised rules in April to allow the resale of stockpiled rice among wholesalers, which was previously prohibited in principle.
By publishing average prices by regional block, the agriculture ministry hopes to clarify the distribution issues related to stockpiled rice that have been pointed out in some areas and advance improvements.
(Japanese original by Hajime Nakatsugawa, Business News Department)
AloJapan.com