Japan agriculture minister says transparency needed in rice trade

NHK

4 days ago

Japan's agriculture minister is reviewing the country's rice distribution system as part of efforts to try and reduce the surge in prices of the staple food.
One retailer has said the supply chain is part of the problem because it is crowded with too many companies.
President Yoshida Naoki of the Don Quijote outlets has made the argument in a letter to Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro.
Yoshida says the national agricultural co-operatives, known as the JA Group, collect most of the crop and control the supply chain.
He says the JA Group sells the rice to a limited number of wholesalers and it then goes through multiple tiers of other brokers that add a profit margin. He argues that this process cranks up the price by the time it reaches stores.
"The rice supply and distribution system is far outdated," said Yoshida. "This needs to be recognized as the first step in addressing the problem."
Koizumi told reporters on Sunday that Yoshida's views need to be considered to identify what has caused rice prices to double in the past year.
"Rice distribution should become more transparent," he said. "That's one of the issues the government has to discuss."
Koizumi says the ministry will review the supply chain system for further discussion by the government.