随意ずいい契約けいやくの備蓄びちく米まい 販売はんばい開始かいし 価格かかくは？コメ値下ねさがりにつながるか

Sales of government stockpiled rice, which was sold through negotiated contracts, began at some retail stores on May 31.

Whether reasonably priced stockpiled rice will become widely available and lead to a decrease in the soaring rice prices is the main focus.

Ito-Yokado Sold Out in 30 Minutes After Opening The sale of reserve rice through discretionary contracts covers a total of 300,000 tons: 200,000 tons from the 2022 harvest and 100,000 tons from the 2021 harvest. Some contracted businesses began in-store sales on the 31st.

Of these, Ito-Yokado, a major supermarket that signed a contract for 5,000 kilograms of the 2022 crop, has started selling it at its store in Ota Ward, Tokyo.

At 8:30 a.m., a truck loaded with reserve rice arrived, and employees lined it up at the special sales area.

The price was 2,160 yen including tax for 5 kilograms, and there was a purchase limit of one per family, but the 500 bags prepared were sold out in about 30 minutes after the store opened at 10 a.m.

A woman in her 30s who made a purchase said, With rice prices being so high, I heard I could buy it for half the usual price, so I lined up from the morning.

I hope the prices of other rice will also stabilize, he said.

President Tetsuya Yamamoto of Ito-Yokado said, We wanted to deliver reasonably priced rice, so we applied for the negotiated contract.

I dont know the price outlook for other types of rice, but we would like to offer it as one of the options for our customers, he said.

Iris Ohyama, a major household goods manufacturer that also signed a discretionary contract on the 31st to purchase 10,000 tons of stockpiled rice, began sales at two stores in Miyagi and Chiba prefectures on the 31st.

Of these, 95 bags of the 2022 harvest were prepared at the store in Miyagino Ward, Sendai City, priced at 2,160 yen tax included for 5 kilograms.

A sticker is attached to the bag so that consumers can recognize it as stockpiled rice.

We distributed numbered tickets before opening the store, but more customers came than the number we had prepared, so sales for the 31st have ended.

There was also a tasting corner set up in the store, where visitors could try the taste and texture of the stored rice.

A man in his 40s who made the purchase said, For consumers, having affordable stockpiled rice is really appreciated.

I want to try eating it at home right away, they said.

Mr. Akira Omori, the manager of the company that operates the store, said, I am pleased that we were able to deliver the stockpiled rice to consumers.

I would like to deliver stockpiled rice to many more stores in the future, he said.

The stockpiled rice under discretionary contracts will also begin to be sold by the major retailer Aeon starting June 1, and distribution is expected to become full-scale going forward.

Whether reasonably priced stockpiled rice will become widely available and lead to a decrease in the soaring rice prices is the main focus.