News in brief:
– Japan’s agriculture ministry plans to scrap its long-standing rice crop index after farmers criticised it for overstating production and not reflecting on-the-ground realities.
– The ministry aims to adopt satellite and AI technology for more accurate data, amid rising rice prices and concerns over supply shortages.
Japan’s agriculture ministry has announced plans to discontinue its decades-old rice crop situation index following mounting criticism from farmers and retailers who argue the data overstates production.
The index, which compares current yields with historical averages, showed a slight uptick for 2024 with a reading of 101, indicating 1% more rice than an average year. However, Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said outdated sampling methods skew results and fail to reflect present-day realities on farms.
“Amid speculation about the credibility of our data, continuing to release the index would mean ignoring its inaccuracy,” Koizumi said on Monday. He added that the ministry will shift to using advanced technologies like satellites and AI to better inform agricultural policy.
The final decision will rest with the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Koizumi’s comments followed a visit to Fukushima Prefecture, where rice farmers and local Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) officials criticised the index as misleading. Farmers claim they are harvesting less rice than the ministry figures suggest.
Despite reports of higher rice output (6.79 million tons in 2024, projected to rise to 7.19 million tons in 2025), farmers say rice remains in short supply, fueling price hikes. Additional pressure stems from increased consumption by tourists and speculative buying.
To ease prices, the ministry released 200,000 tons of older stockpiled rice last week. Prices remain high, with a 5kg bag of 2021 rice priced at ¥1,800 ($12.43). Koizumi assured farmers and consumers: “I don’t think rice will cost ¥2,000 forever.”
