Bloomberg reported on the threat to rice yields in Japan due to drought

Record high air temperatures in Japan may affect rice production in the country, which threatens product shortages and new price hikes. This was reported by Bloomberg on August 8.

Key rice-producing regions such as Tohoku and Hokuriku experienced the lowest rainfall in almost 80 years in July, while the heatwave this month broke several temperature records and scorched most of the country.

"Such extreme weather conditions can affect the harvest, which usually begins in late summer, while rice stocks have been limited in recent years due to adverse weather conditions. This may lead to an increase in prices, which are already about 50% higher than a year ago," the article says.

Due to the heat and drought, rice yields and sales will decrease, said Kazunuki Ohizumi, Professor Emeritus at Miyagi University and an expert in agricultural policy. According to him, if the weather conditions had not affected rice cultivation, its production this year could have increased by 8% to 7.35 million metric tons. However, the uncertainty of weather conditions makes forecasting difficult.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries suggested that similar risks could spread to other regions, depending on future weather conditions, the publication added.

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