茨城いばらき ふるさと納税のうぜいのコメ送おくれず ボランティア団体だんたいも苦慮くりょ

Amidst the continued rise in rice prices, it has been revealed that in Bando City, Ibaraki Prefecture, due to accepting applications for hometown tax rice beyond the actual stock, they are unable to send return gifts to over 10,000 applicants.

The city plans to apologize to those affected and take measures such as sending new rice this fall.

<br>Bando City Donation Rush Exceeds Stock Availability<br>According to Bando City, there were 10,540 donation applications through the intermediary site from December 24 last year to January 6 this year, and they are unable to ship the rice return gifts due to insufficient stock.

<br><br>The rice was produced by an agricultural corporation in the city, and it was arranged to send 5 kilograms of rice for a donation of 7,000 yen.

According to the city, the reason for the shortage is that amidst the flood of donations, they lost track of the quantity of rice already delivered, resulting in accepting orders exceeding their stock.

<br><br>The city plans to apologize via email and other means to those who made donations, and for the over 9,000 requests, send newly harvested rice as a return gift this fall.

<br><br>Additionally, we are accommodating those who wish for a refund instead of a return gift.

<br><br>Bando City said, We apologize for not meeting expectations.

We will respond sincerely to the application and work to ensure that the same thing does not happen again, they said.

<br><br>In Ibaraki Prefecture, even in Ryugasaki City, they were unable to secure rice for approximately 1,000 hometown tax donations, and they are proceeding with refund procedures for most of these cases.

<br>Ibaraki Ami Town Volunteer Support Groups Also Struggle<br>Amid rising rice prices, volunteer groups in Ami Town, Ibaraki Prefecture, which are providing support to people in need, are also finding it difficult to secure rice.

<br><br>The volunteer group in Ami Town operates a childrens cafeteria and provides free food supplies to support families in need.

According to the organization, there used to be a constant stock of about 500 kilograms of rice from donations by major supermarkets and agricultural stakeholders, but since around October last year, donations have decreased, and now its down to about half.

<br><br>For this reason, last month, we secured rice by utilizing the national system for support organizations.

<br><br>In the context of rising prices, the demand for rice is increasing, and the organization carefully listens to circumstances such as having multiple children and living in poverty to select recipients, ensuring that the rice is not resold before providing it.

<br><br>Naomi Shimizu, the representative of the volunteer group ami seed, said, I also have experience being helped by receiving rice from people around me when I was struggling as a single mother, so I want to make sure it reaches those who really need it.