Japan’s rice stocks fall to lowest in decades amid tourist influx, poor harvest Write protector.

Japan’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said private sector rice stocks fell 20 percent to 1.56 million tonnes in June from a year earlier. That’s the lowest level since officials began collecting comparative data in 1999.

The organization attributed the drop in production to high temperatures in 2023 rice fields, water shortages and demand from inbound tourists.

In the past year, Japan’s rice consumption increased to 7 million tons, an increase of 100,000 tons from the previous year. During the same period, the number of tourists also increased: in the first half of 2024, the number of tourists visiting Japan reached 17.78 million, an increase of 1 million from before the epidemic.

The ministry calculated that tourists who ate rice twice a day contributed to an increase in demand of 51,000 tons, 2.7 times that of last year.

The publication noted that rice prices have reached their highest level in 30 years amid the shortage. Wholesalers are out of stock and some supermarkets are raising prices to limit purchases. The situation is expected to continue until this year’s crop hits the market in September.