Only 1.4 Pct of Govt-Stockpiled Rice Reaches Retailers

   Tokyo, April 30 (Jiji Press)--Only 1.4 pct of Japanese government-stockpiled rice sold through auctions in March has reached supermarkets and other retailers in the country, an agriculture ministry survey showed Wednesday.
   The auctioned rice totaled 212,132 tons, but only 3,018 tons had been distributed to retailers as of April 13, according to the survey.
   From March 31 to April 13, the government transferred 133,808 tons of the auctioned rice to buyers, and 2,592 tons went to retailers. As of March 30, 426 tons had been handed over to retailers.
   The ministry also said Wednesday that rice harvested in 2024 and collected by major buyers came to 2.25 million tons at the end of March, down 265,000 tons from a year before. The year-on-year decrease widened from 254,000 tons at the end of February.

(2025/04/30-17:34)