Tokyo: Japan is currently facing severe rice crisis. On Friday. The inflation data released on 23 May shows that the price of rice has increased by 98 percent this year compared to last year, ie the price has almost doubled. The Food Minister has had to resign due to lack of crisis and this crisis has become a headache for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
There are 4 main reasons for this sudden price hike (1) The first reason is that rice production has decreased due to record heat in 2023. (2) The second reason is that people started buying rice in a large amount of rice in 2024 due to the earthquake warning. Rice is the main food in Japan. So there was a competition to gather it. (3) The second reason is that the number of tourists visiting Japan has increased significantly. They prefer rice and sushi dishes more than any other dish, so it is natural that as the demand for rice increases, the price will also increase. There is also hoarding.
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In Japan, the government has focused on cultivation of other crops in place of rice, due to which rice production has declined. Rice producing farmers are getting old, their sons are not taking interest in farming, so rice cultivation has reduced. 60 percent of the farmers are elderly. 70 percent of them do not have any successor that will be ready to handle farming. A 90 -year -old rice trader, who has been running a wholesale shop of rice for three generations, said that there were Japanese officials who were asking them to produce other grains at the place of rice, which has reduced the production of rice. Rice deficiency arises due to these main reasons.
