Japan’s rice exports hit record high for Jan.-Jul. period
Japan’s rice exports reached a record high of 24,469 tons from January to July, marking a 23% increase from the previous year, driven by growing demand from Japanese restaurants abroad, particularly in Hong Kong, the US, and Singapore. Meanwhile, domestic rice supplies are tight due to increased consumer purchases following recent natural disasters, though commercial stocks remain ample at 1.56 million tons as of June.
Japan’s exports of rice hit a record high for the January-to-July period on the back of higher demand from Japanese restaurants overseas.
The agriculture ministry said on Tuesday that Japan exported 24,469 tons of rice in the period.
That is a 23 percent increase from a year earlier and is the most for the period since the ministry started gathering data in 2014.
Japan exports most rice to Hong Kong, followed by the United States and Singapore.
Ministry officials say increased demand for rice from Japanese restaurants in Asia and the US is the main factor behind the jump in exports.
On the domestic front, rice continues to be in short supply at supermarkets and stores in Japan. Stocks tend to run low before the new harvest is distributed, while recent earthquakes and typhoons led some people to buy more than usual.
Agriculture Minister Sakamoto Tetsushi stressed on Tuesday that Japan’s commercial stocks of rice stood at 1.56 million tons at the end of June. That far exceeds last year’s annual rice exports of 37,000 tons.
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Source Link : https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240904_07/