Jiji Press

The average price of rice at 1,000 supermarkets across Japan fell for the first time in 18 weeks in the week ended May 4, the agriculture ministry said Monday.

The average price dropped 19 yen from the previous week to 4,214 yen per 5 kilograms.

The price drop came more than a month after the government began releasing stockpiled rice in March. The average retail price was still more than double that of a year earlier.

To curb soaring rice prices, the government held two auctions to sell stockpiled rice in March, releasing 212,132 tons in total.

Despite this, the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, or Zen-Noh, which bought some 94 % of the auctioned rice, has completed shipments of 63,266 tons to wholesalers as of Thursday, only 32 % of the rice sold in the auctions in March.

After being sold to Zen-Noh and other buyers, government-stockpiled rice will be polished and packaged by wholesalers and shipped to retailers.

Considering the sluggish distribution, the ministry has urged Zen-Noh to accelerate the shipment schedule and expand the supply.

The government accepted bids in the third round of its auctions for 10 tons of stockpiled rice in late April. Additional monthly releases of stockpiled rice are also planned through July.

Although some 310,000 tons of stockpiled rice have already been sold through auctions, not enough of this is reaching store shelves. To promote quick distribution, the government is considering revising bidding conditions for the purchase of rice.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Published Date: May 13, 2025