A: Hey there! Heard any interesting news lately?
B: Not really, what's up?
A: Japan's Agriculture Minister wants to lower rice prices because they're too high for consumers! Isn't that cool?
B: Really? That sounds good. But how is he planning to do it?
A: He's gonna sell some stockpiles, aiming to make a five-kilo bag cost around 14 dollars or less. Currently, it's higher in supermarkets!
B: Wow, that's quite a drop! How much stock is he planning to sell?
A: He said they'd start with 300,000 tons through non-bid sales contracts. And the best part? There's no limit if there's demand!
B: That sounds great for consumers! But what about farmers? Don't they mind selling at a lower price?
A: Well, one farmer said it's good for affordable rice but doesn't think it should be the standard. The minister admitted that prices are too high and should be kept high, just not this high.
B: So he agrees the current price is too much then?
A: Yeah, exactly! They're having a briefing about this on Monday, discussing policies for selling the stockpiles. It's all about making rice affordable again!
----------------
Japan's agriculture minister has pitched a plan to reduce the price of rice as consumers struggle with soaring costs.
Koizumi Shinjiro visited Sapporo in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido to explain his proposal to rice producers, wholesalers and retailers.
Koizumi plans to release stock from public stockpiles with the aim of driving down the price of a five-kilo bag to 2,000 yen or 14 dollars, or less than half of the current price in supermarkets.
Koizumi said the government would start by releasing 300,000 tons through non-bid sales contracts.
He said the amount to be released would not be capped so long as there is demand.
He also said there would be no conditions attached to buybacks, and that the government would shoulder transport costs.
A farmer who met the minister said "I think it's a great idea for supplying rice at reasonable prices, as current prices are way too high. But I think that price should not be the standard."
Koizumi later conceded that while prices should be kept high, current prices are clearly too high.
The agriculture ministry will hold a briefing on Monday on policies and methods for non-bid contracts for the release of stockpiles.
B: Not really, what's up?
A: Japan's Agriculture Minister wants to lower rice prices because they're too high for consumers! Isn't that cool?
B: Really? That sounds good. But how is he planning to do it?
A: He's gonna sell some stockpiles, aiming to make a five-kilo bag cost around 14 dollars or less. Currently, it's higher in supermarkets!
B: Wow, that's quite a drop! How much stock is he planning to sell?
A: He said they'd start with 300,000 tons through non-bid sales contracts. And the best part? There's no limit if there's demand!
B: That sounds great for consumers! But what about farmers? Don't they mind selling at a lower price?
A: Well, one farmer said it's good for affordable rice but doesn't think it should be the standard. The minister admitted that prices are too high and should be kept high, just not this high.
B: So he agrees the current price is too much then?
A: Yeah, exactly! They're having a briefing about this on Monday, discussing policies for selling the stockpiles. It's all about making rice affordable again!
----------------
Japan's agriculture minister has pitched a plan to reduce the price of rice as consumers struggle with soaring costs.
Koizumi Shinjiro visited Sapporo in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido to explain his proposal to rice producers, wholesalers and retailers.
Koizumi plans to release stock from public stockpiles with the aim of driving down the price of a five-kilo bag to 2,000 yen or 14 dollars, or less than half of the current price in supermarkets.
Koizumi said the government would start by releasing 300,000 tons through non-bid sales contracts.
He said the amount to be released would not be capped so long as there is demand.
He also said there would be no conditions attached to buybacks, and that the government would shoulder transport costs.
A farmer who met the minister said "I think it's a great idea for supplying rice at reasonable prices, as current prices are way too high. But I think that price should not be the standard."
Koizumi later conceded that while prices should be kept high, current prices are clearly too high.
The agriculture ministry will hold a briefing on Monday on policies and methods for non-bid contracts for the release of stockpiles.
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Summary
Japan's Agriculture Minister, Koizumi Shinjiro, plans to reduce rice prices for consumers struggling with high costs. The goal is to bring the price of a five-kilo bag down to approximately 2,000 yen (around $14 USD), currently more than twice that in supermarkets. This will be achieved by selling
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ID: 11c54cf7-a935-4a2d-b928-76879758be48
Category ID: nhk
URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20250525_300/
Date: May 25, 2025
Created: 2025/05/26 07:13
Updated: 2025/12/08 03:57
Last Read: 2025/05/26 07:31