ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – Japan is reportedly facing a rice crisis due to the heat wave.
The phenomenon of extreme heat has caused the supply and quality of rice in the country to decline.
Quoted from The Japan Times page, Monday, August 12 2024, several supermarkets have limited rice purchases to prevent panic buying. Rice prices also soared due to increasing demand.
It is also feared that this year’s rice harvest will be affected by the scorching heat, sparking concern among producers and consumers.
“This is the first time rice has become so scarce since the rice riots of the Heisei era,” said Hiromichi Akiba, president of mid-sized supermarket chain Akidai.
He was referring to the rice shortage experienced in 1993 caused by a cold summer and poor crop yields. Akidai’s flagship store in Tokyo’s Nerima District recently limited rice purchases to one item per customer amid ongoing price increases, leaving some customers concerned.
Although the 2023 harvest volume is on par with previous years, high temperatures have caused the rice grains to appear cloudy or broken into several pieces, resulting in a drop in distribution volume. One major supermarket has canceled special rice sales since last month due to stock shortages, while another supermarket has raised rice prices this month by 10-20 percent.
June rice producer prices released by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture on July 16 noted that the price of brown rice per 60 kilograms rose 14 percent from the previous year to 15,865 yen, which is the highest price in approximately the last 11 years.
Ito Seimaiten, a rice shop in Nakano District, Tokyo, is reducing rice orders from new restaurants because rice supplies are running low due to rising purchasing prices.
“The shortage is expected to be resolved next month as distribution of new rice (harvested this year) begins in earnest, but purchasing prices are unlikely to fall,” said shop owner Takeo Ito. (ATN)
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