Ishiba unveils policy shift to boost rice production
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tuesday that his government will seek to increase the country's rice production, marking a significant shift from the policy of adjusting rice output through de facto acreage cutbacks.
Ishiba told a meeting of relevant ministers on the stable supply of rice that he will "change direction toward increased production."
He mentioned the use of abandoned arable land to increase rice production as part of the new policy aimed at addressing the surge in prices of the staple since last year, while also working to expand rice exports after increasing output.
"We will shift to support measures" that will allow farmers to work aggressively to increase rice production, the prime minister said.
"We will stop the expansion of abandoned farmland to pass it on to the next generation," he also said, suggesting that his government will promote the consolidation of farmland.
The government also aims to improve rice productivity by promoting smart farming with drones and other technologies, as well as introducing cultivation methods that do not keep paddy fields constantly filled with water.
Based on the policy shift to increase rice production, the agriculture ministry will feature these measures in its budget request for fiscal 2026, which starts in April next year.
The ministry will also review its medium- to long-term policy on paddy fields in fiscal 2027, in a bid to promote next-generation agriculture that will help conserve "satoyama" managed forests.
At the meeting, the government reported findings from a study on the soaring prices of rice. The study suggested that, despite a rise in demand due to an increase in foreign visitors to the country and other factors, the ministry believed Japan was producing sufficient volumes of rice.
The government also believes that the volumes of rice shipped to stores fell short of projections due to lower milling yields resulting from heat damage, which contributed to the surge in prices. Other factors include increased consumer purchases amid concerns over potential supply shortages.
It added that a delay in the release of government stockpiled rice, due to a passive attitude over grasping the actual situation regarding rice distribution, contributed to further price increases.
"It is necessary to improve ways to forecast the supply-demand balance for rice," Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
