Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s private-sector rice stocks totaled 1.56 million tons at the end of June, the lowest since records began in 1999, a preliminary agriculture ministry report showed Tuesday.

The rice stocks dropped 410,000 tons from a year before, reflecting sluggish rice production last year due to scorching heat, a surge in demand from foreign tourists, and an increase in consumption as rice prices rose more slowly than bread and noodle prices.

The latest figure, presented at the day’s meeting of an advisory panel to the agriculture minister, was 210,000 tons lower than the 1.77 million tons estimated in March.

Of the rice harvested in 2023, the first-grade crop accounted for 61.8 pct, down some 18 points from the previous year. As a result, production of polished rice declined, leading to a decrease in rice on the market.

Meanwhile, rice demand in the year through June 2024 expanded 110,000 tons to 7.02 million tons, the first increase in a decade.

Published Date: July 30, 2024