TOKYO –
Japan’s new rice harvest is reaching shops at considerably decrease costs, with preliminary buying and selling costs for the 2026 crop falling 42% from a yr earlier and a few supermarkets promoting freshly harvested rice for round 2,000 yen per 5 kilograms, creating an uncommon state of affairs by which new rice is cheaper than older shares.
The first relative transaction costs for the 2026 harvest, measured per 60 kilograms of brown rice, had been 42% decrease than the identical month final yr, in response to newly launched figures.
The sharp decline is believed to replicate giant inventories of rice harvested in 2025 nonetheless held by private-sector distributors, placing downward stress on costs for the brand new crop.
The surplus has additionally created an uncommon reversal within the retail market, with freshly harvested rice being offered for lower than rice from the earlier yr’s harvest. New rice usually instructions a premium due to its freshness and seasonal enchantment.
Shunsuke Orikasa, a senior researcher on the Distribution Economics Institute of Japan, stated the nation’s rice harvest in 2026 is predicted to be round common ranges, suggesting that costs for brand new rice may stay between 2,000 and a pair of,500 yen per 5 kilograms.
The outlook raises expectations that rice will develop into extra inexpensive for households following a interval of elevated costs.
A survey of supermarkets in and across the Kanto area discovered that costs for 5-kilogram luggage of freshly harvested rice had been usually round 2,000 yen as of October 20, indicating that the decline in wholesale buying and selling costs is already being mirrored in retail shops.
With the brand new rice season underway, consideration can also be turning to methods of having fun with the recent harvest, together with cooking and storage methods that assist protect its taste and texture, together with aspect dishes and accompaniments that complement freshly cooked rice.
Source: TBS