THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

Rice prices remain high in Japan even after stockpile releases Retail rice prices in Japan are still above ¥4,000 per 5 kilograms on average, almost double the level before supply shortages hit consumers, even after the government’s releases of stockpiled rice to keep prices low. In February last year, the agriculture ministry announced plans to release 210,000 tons of stockpiled rice. The decision came as a reversal of its policy because the ministry had expected that the volume of 2024 rice would be enough to cover demand. The country’s staple food law stipulates that releases of government-stockpiled rice be used to cover “supply shortages due to falling production.” Therefore, although rice started disappearing from store shelves in summer 2024 and consumers asked for stockpiled rice to be released, the government did not take action. Even after 2024 rice started appearing in the market, rice prices did not fall but climbed even higher. Eventually, the ministry changed rules to allow stockpiled rice to be released “in case that smooth rice distribution is disrupted.” Last March, it started releasing stockpiled rice through bidding mainly by agricultural cooperatives. But …

Sales of rice from 2025 harvest to Japan wholesalers hit record low Fresh vegetables and fruit produced on Aichi Prefecture's Chita Peninsula are seen at a store in the prefectural city of Obu in this March 27, 2024, file photo. (Mainichi) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Agricultural cooperatives and other groups in Japan that collect rice from farmers sold a record-low 1.32 million tons of the grain from the 2025 harvest to wholesalers as of the end of May, down about 17 percent from a year earlier, the farm ministry said Tuesday. The decline in rice sales through the conventional distribution channel, which accounted for just under half of the 2025 harvest collected, comes as demand has shifted to cheaper government-released stockpiled rice as well as imported rice. Private-sector rice inventories rose about 51 percent to 2.23 million tons as of the end of May, reaching a level on par with the record high recorded in 2014, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Retail rice prices have been declining since the government began releasing stockpiled rice, including through direct contracts with retailers, last year. Prices could fall further if wholesalers seek to reduc…

Japan rice prices expected to fall due to high inventories Japan’s three-month rice price outlook remained bearish in June, with the price index at 19, below the 50 threshold for the ninth consecutive month. Record-high private rice inventories of 2.23 million tonnes and government stockpile releases continue to ease supply concerns and put downward pressure on prices. Share Tweet Share Share Email Comments TOKYO: The June index forecast for rice prices over the next three months fell 4 points from the previous month to 19, remaining below the 50 threshold for the ninth consecutive month amid elevated inventories and discount sales, rice association data showed Monday, Kyodo News reported. The index calculated by the Rice Stable Supply Support Organisation matched the record low seen in August 2014, when inventories swelled following a bumper crop the previous year. Based on a nationwide survey of producers, wholesalers and retailers, a reading below 50 indicates that expectations for lower prices are dominant. The rice supply and demand index for the next three months remained largely unchanged, rising 1 point from the previous month to 20, amid a prevailing view that supply and …

Wholesale Rice Prices in Japan Forecast to Hit Unprecedented Highs TOKYO- The wholesale price of rice traded between businesses is expected to reach an unprecedented level of over 36,000 yen per 60 kilograms despite a bumper harvest this year, according to interviews conducted by JNN, highlighting the intense competition among buyers and the distorted dynamics of Japan’s rice market. As rice harvesting entered its final stages in October, producers like Koike Farm in Chiba were relieved to see yields return to normal after last year’s poor harvest. “Last year, our yield was nearly cut in half, but by thoroughly controlling pests and diseases this season, we managed to achieve an average harvest,” said owner Takashi Koike. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries projects that total rice production this year will increase by more than 680,000 tons compared with last year. Despite the higher supply, however, the average inter-company transaction price — known as the “relative transaction price” — for September is expected to be in the upper 36,000-yen range per 60 kilograms, roughly 14,000 yen higher than the same period last year and the highest on record. The data sh…

Sales of rice from 2025 harvest to Japan wholesalers hit record low Rice is stockpiled at a warehouse in Kanagawa Prefecture in 2025. Image: REUTERS file business Sales of rice from 2025 harvest to Japan wholesalers hit record low July 1 06:40 am JST July 1 | 04:37 pm JST 37 Comments TOKYO Agricultural cooperatives and other groups in Japan that collect rice from farmers sold a record-low 1.32 million tons of the grain from the 2025 harvest to wholesalers as of the end of May, down about 17 percent from a year earlier, the farm ministry said Tuesday. The decline in rice sales through the conventional distribution channel, which accounted for just under half of the 2025 harvest collected, comes as demand has shifted to cheaper government-released stockpiled rice as well as imported rice. Private-sector rice inventories rose about 51 percent to 2.23 million tons as of the end of May, reaching a level on par with the record high recorded in 2014, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Retail rice prices have been declining since the government began releasing stockpiled rice, including through direct contracts with retailers, last year. Prices could fall fu…

Top Rice News: Rice Prices, New Farming System & U.S. Acreage Top rice news todayhighlights Japan’s 2025 Rice Sales to Wholesalers Hit Record Low as Buyers Shift to Cheaper Stockpiled,Imported Rice, Indonesia’s new farming system to lift rice yields to 12.4 tonnes per hectare, and fall of rice acreage to the lowest level since 1972 as cotton planting expands On Tuesday, July 1, Agricultural cooperatives and other groups in Japan that collect rice from farmers sold a record-low 1.32 million tons of the grain from the 2025 harvest to wholesalers as of the end of May, which is down 17 % from a year earlier. The decrease inrice salesthrough the conventional distribution channel comes as demand has shifted toward cheaper government-released stockpiled rice and imported rice. Notably, it accounted for just under half of the 2025 harvest collected. Moreover, Private-sector rice inventories rose around 51 per cent to 2.23 million tons as of the end of May, reaching a level on par with the record high in 2014. Prices could drop further if wholesalers seek to reduce inventories by discounting rice. According to the ministry, the average retail price of a 5-kilogram bag of rice at nearly 1,…

Japan rice prices expected to fall due to high inventories A total of 150 bags of rice delivered to Nishinari children's cafeteria from rice farmers in Fukushima Prefecture are seen in Nishinari Ward, Osaka, on April 19, 2021. (Mainichi) TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The June index forecast for rice prices over the next three months fell 4 points from the previous month to 19, remaining below the 50 threshold for the ninth consecutive month amid elevated inventories and discount sales, rice association data showed Monday. The index calculated by the Rice Stable Supply Support Organization matched the record low seen in August 2014, when inventories swelled following a bumper crop the previous year. Based on a nationwide survey of producers, wholesalers and retailers, a reading below 50 indicates that expectations for lower prices are dominant. The rice supply and demand index for the next three months remained largely unchanged, rising 1 point from the previous month to 20, amid a prevailing view that supply and demand conditions will ease. When asked what informed their views on prices, as well as supply and demand, 58 percent of respondents cited "domestic inventory levels," while 23 percent…

Sales of rice from 2025 harvest to Japan wholesalers hit record low Japan’s private rice inventories rose 51% year-on-year to 2.23 million tonnes by end-May as cooperative rice sales fell 17% to a record-low 1.32 million tonnes. Government stockpile releases and imports reduced demand, driving retail rice prices down from recent peaks. Share Tweet Share Share Email Comments Agricultural cooperatives and other groups in Japan that collect rice from farmers sold a record-low 1.32 million tons of the grain from the 2025 harvest to wholesalers as of the end of May, down about 17 percent from a year earlier, the farm ministry said Tuesday. The decline in rice sales through the conventional distribution channel, which accounted for just under half of the 2025 harvest collected, comes as demand has shifted to cheaper government-released stockpiled rice as well as imported rice. Private-sector rice inventories rose about 51 percent to 2.23 million tons as of the end of May, reaching a level on par with the record high recorded in 2014, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Retail rice prices have been declining since the government began releasing stockpiled ri…

Japan Rice Price to Wholesalers Hits Another High in Feb. 農林水産省は１９日、２月の２０２４年産米の相対取引価格（全銘柄平均、玄米６０キロ当たり）が２万６４８５円だったと発表した。激化するコメの集荷競争を背景に、前年同月比で７３％、前月比で２％それぞれ上昇、６カ月連続で過去最高額を更新した。 相対取引価格は、全国農業協同組合連合会（ＪＡ全農）などの集荷業者と卸売業者との間の取引価格。「令和の米騒動」と呼ばれた昨年夏の極端な品薄の影響で、コメの調達を巡る業者間の駆け引きが過熱。農水省は政府 備蓄米 の放出を決めたが、価格が落ち着くかは不透明だ。（2025/03/19-16:32） 英文版に切り替え The average sales price of Japan's 2024 rice crop to wholesalers hit a record high for the sixth straight month in February, the agriculture ministry said Wednesday. The average price stood at 26,485 yen per 60 kilograms, up 73 pct from a year before and 2 pct from a month before. It is the average of transaction prices between rice wholesalers and buyers dealing with farmers, such as the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, or Zen-Noh. Following a serious shortage of the country's staple food in stores in summer 2024, competition among buyers has intensified. The ministry has decided to release some of the government stockpiled rice, but it is unclear whether this will be enough to counter soaring prices. The ministry also released the outcome of a survey on rice acreage in 2025. Switch to Japanese Related News 2026.07.01 10:25 Ja…

Sales of rice from 2025 harvest to Japan wholesalers hit record low TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Agricultural cooperatives and other groups in Japan that collect rice from farmers sold a record-low 1.32 million tons of the grain f