備蓄びちく米まい影響えいきょうで銘柄めいがら米まい買い控かいびかえも スーパーでは一部いちぶ値引ねびきの動うごき

As sales of discounted reserve rice, sold through negotiated contracts, begin in various regions, some supermarkets have started to reduce the frequency of orders or offer discounts on certain branded rice, as sales of branded rice have slowed down.

At a supermarket in Koshigaya City, Saitama Prefecture, sales of branded rice, whose prices have been soaring, are gradually slowing down. Since they had not handled stockpiled rice until now, the total rice sales last month dropped by nearly 30% compared to April.

Since late May, when the sale of reserve rice through discretionary contracts began at supermarkets and other stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area, sales—especially of branded rice—have been declining even further. Stores believe this may be because customers are holding off on purchases until the cheaper reserve rice goes on sale.

At this store, the frequency of ordering premium rice brands has been reduced from about three times a week to about once a week. In addition, on the 9th, the store staff put a 500-yen discount sticker on a 5-kilogram bag of premium rice, which had been milled about a month ago and was selling for around 5,000 yen including tax, in an effort to encourage customers to buy it sooner.

A man in his 50s who was out shopping said, Brand-name rice is expensive, so its hard to buy now. Sometimes I switch to buying noodles like udon instead.

Store manager Eiki Yagi of Super Marusan said, We cant just throw away brands of rice that arent selling well, so even if it means taking a loss, we have no choice but to sell them at a low price.

For stores, its becoming more difficult to decide how much rice to purchase and keep in stock, they said.

Expert: There is a possibility that supply and demand will ease. Kimio Inagaki, Executive Research Director at Mitsubishi Research Institute and an expert on rice policy and distribution, commented on the launch of stockpiled rice being sold at around 2,000 yen tax included for 5 kilograms, saying, I am surprised at how quickly it has come to market, faster than expected.

I think the effect of the rice actually being served and making it easy for consumers to understand that there really is rice was very significant, he said.

On top of that, it is expected that this month, the rice that will be sold will lean towards reserve rice, making it harder to sell branded rice that was priced at 4,500 or 5,000 yen. However, since it has already been milled, there may be businesses that want to sell it as soon as possible and therefore lower the price.

He pointed out, It seems we can expect prices to go down a little in June and July.

Regarding the outlook for the price of newly harvested rice this year, The provisional payments that agricultural cooperatives in various regions pay to farmers have already increased, and it seems unlikely that the price will fall below 4,000 yen for 5 kilograms.

I think it will initially appear in stores at that price, he said.

On the other hand, Mr. Inagaki pointed out that, according to a survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the harvest of new rice this year is expected to increase by 400,000 tons compared to last year. He added, If things go as expected, there is a possibility that supply and demand will ease considerably.

After this years new rice comes out and theres an oversupply, if people end up saying, Yeah, its still too expensive, whether or not to lower the price will be up to the business decisions of wholesalers and retailers.

Minister of Agriculture Koizumi: “Suppressing price surges and providing rice is good news” Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Koizumi, on the morning of the 9th at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, was asked by reporters, “The prices of branded rice have been falling in transactions among wholesalers, but how will you connect this to an overall decrease in rice prices?” He responded, “From the perspective of suppressing price surges and creating an environment where consumers can safely purchase rice, this is good news, and I would like to closely monitor future trends.”

He added, Having said that, if you ask whether things have dropped to the necessary level, its really just the beginning. We need to stay alert, never slow down, and think about what more we can do this week and put it into action.

On the other hand, regarding the timing for starting the bidding for rice imported by the government for staple food use, he stated, Its not necessarily September just because it has always been September; we want to explore the approach that will have the greatest effect, indicating that they are considering reviewing the timing, including the possibility of changing it from the traditional September.