Heavy Rains Send Agricultural Prices Soaring in Japan

Soup curry, a popular dish during the suddenly chilly weather these days.

A popular topping is broccoli.

[Customer: I chose broccoli as a topping. The green part blends well with the broth, making it delicious.]

Back in April, broccoli was designated by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as a "designated vegetable," meaning the government directly manages its supply and demand as vital to public livelihood.

However, broccoli prices have been surging recently.

[Soup Curry Restaurant Manager: It used to be around 150 yen per head, but lately it's about 300 to 350 yen.]

At supermarkets, the retail price for regular consumers has reached 430 yen including tax, which is close to 4,000 won in Korean currency.

[Consumer: It used to be around 198 yen, but now I just can't buy it.]

The sudden spike in broccoli prices is due to rain.

A sharp drop in harvest yields was caused by record-breaking heavy rains that battered areas including Chiba Prefecture over the past month.

[Broccoli Farmer: The fields still haven't dried out, so we can't go in. I'm shocked because there has never been such a long period of continuous rain before.]

Due to the prolonged rain, the roots have rotted, and because the fields remain wet, replanting is impossible.

The situation is the same for newly harvested rice, which has just begun harvesting season.

[Rice Farmer: No matter how you look at it, this rice is not in a condition to be harvested. If the water doesn't drain, we can't do anything.]

Rice that should have been harvested a week ago in a normal year remains submerged in water.

If left submerged for a long time, the rice rots, leaving it unharvestable even if it dries out.

Rice that has sprouted while submerged cannot be shipped either.

In this paddy alone, the rice that has become impossible to harvest amounts to 20 tons.

[Rice Farmer: If concerns grow that the new rice crop will be poor, prices could continue to rise.]

Concerns are rising that recently lowered Japanese rice prices could climb back up, and the impact of these heavy rains is spreading to various agricultural products.

(Video Reported by Han Chul-min and Moon Hyun-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.