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The story
A thread went up on 5ch’s Newsflash+ board after the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced that the average retail price of 5kg of rice had fallen back into the ¥2,000 range for the first time in two years. Rice prices had kept climbing in recent years — at one point reaching the high ¥3,000s for 5kg — so while many in the thread welcomed the price drop, opinions clashed over how low farmers’ shipping prices had gotten and how wholesalers who’d hoarded stock during the price surge were handling the situation. The discussion also spilled over into criticism of the minister in charge of agricultural policy.
Jiji Press — September 18, 2026, 17:03 JST
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the average retail price of 5kg of rice has fallen back into the ¥2,000 range for the first time in two years.
Source: jiji.com / Original article here
What people said
You mean because he took office, not resigned.
https://tadaup.jp/9QozZqc4.jpg
Seisen Ichiba TOP (supermarket)
New-crop Fusakogane rice, 5kg for ¥1,599
Seisen Ichiba TOP
I'd consider it if they delivered it to my house.
There's no way to run a farm at prices that low.
Don't you mean ¥9,000 per 30kg? If the wholesale price is ¥9,000 for 60kg and it's being sold at ¥2,900 for 5kg, that's a massive markup.
Then why not quit? Go ask the Ministry of Agriculture for help. 😀
Joyful Honda
Just use the money you raked in through last year to cover it. Sounds like you just aren't trying or being creative enough.
Seriously, who do you think you are? Quit looking down on farmers already.
We're the ones shipping it out at these rock-bottom prices — we're the ones propping up the food self-sufficiency rate. Have you ever once thanked a farmer?
Who do YOU think you are? You couldn't survive without consumers, so don't get cocky.
Don't go picking fights with consumers lol. Just quit then. Running your business at a loss and still acting high and mighty — who do you think you are lol
That big payday only happened last year and the year before, right? Now you're rewriting history lol
Normal businesses don't make a killing like that in the first place, you know?
Rice farmers should be blaming the wholesalers who jacked up prices like idiots, not us.
LOL ("プゲラ", old-school 2ch laughing slang). Demand hasn't fallen at all lol
https://image-tm.s2mr.jp/i/original/1789242486407.jpeg
Finally down to the "¥1,000s"! Long lines form for new-crop rice — set-meal restaurants bring back free rice refills, and customers return
https://asahi.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/newsplus/1788933925/
Just like in a falling market, whoever sells off first wins. Wholesalers and stores still holding onto Reiwa 7 (2025-harvest) rice should just dump it at fire-sale prices.
Ropia
I always thought Ropia ran pricey, but I guess their rice is cheap.
Costco
Then what IS the Japanese staple food now? Bread loaded with preservatives? Imported pasta?
Background and Talking Points
Retail rice prices have been climbing since 2024 amid shortages caused by extreme summer heat and supply-chain bottlenecks, at one point reportedly reaching the high ¥3,000s to around ¥4,000 for 5kg. This time, as new-crop rice shipments have ramped up, prices have fallen back into the ¥2,000 range for the first time in two years — welcome news for household budgets. At the same time, the thread also saw claims that farmers’ shipping prices (one post cited roughly ¥9,000 per 60kg) don’t cover production costs, highlighting a divide between “consumers welcoming lower prices” and “farmers struggling to stay in business.” There was also criticism of wholesalers who held onto old-crop stock during the price surge, as well as questions about the competence of the minister overseeing agricultural policy. That said, it’s worth noting that the specific figures for shipping prices and any talk of the minister’s resignation are based on hearsay and speculation within the thread, and have not been officially confirmed.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Newsflash+) thread “[Breaking] Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: average retail price of 5kg of rice falls into ¥2,000 range for first time in 2 years.”
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