Rice Prices Seen Staying High in Japan Even as Supply Grows

   Tokyo, Sept. 4 (Jiji Press)--Rice prices are expected to remain high in Japan for the time being, even as rice harvested this year began to hit the shelves at supermarkets where the staple had run short.
   The situation, currently marked by the shortages, "will gradually improve" with the full-fledged distribution of new rice, agriculture minister Tetsushi Sakamoto said.
   At a meeting Wednesday, rice wholesalers said that prices of 5-kilogram bags of milled rice at supermarkets "were between 1,500 and 2,000 yen last year but have exceeded 3,000 yen," warning that "if rice prices remain elevated, consumption will decline."
   The total volume of milled rice sales at nine major wholesalers for the week from Saturday grew 3 pct from a year before. The supply is expected to increase with each passing week.
   But prices are expected to remain high as the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, or Zen-Noh, has raised the allowance paid to producers upon the collection of new rice by about 20 to 40 pct from last year due to rising production costs.

(2024/09/04-21:21)

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