Source: Reference message
Japanese media said that the Japanese rice industry officially launched its exports to China. China has imposed restrictions on the import of rice from Japan, and the export base that has been confined to Kanagawa Prefecture has been expanded to all parts of Japan. On July 30th, Japan’s largest rice wholesaler, Shenming Company (Kobe City), took the lead in delivery. Against the background of the gradual decline in domestic rice consumption, the Japanese government supports the rice industry to turn to China’s huge market to find a way out.

According to Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported on July 31, on July 30, Shenming Company shipped 17.2 tons of Koshihikari rice from Toyama Prefecture to the warehouse in Kobe City. The president of the company said: “We can export rice from the group factory to China, which is convenient for planning and flexible order.” Rice will be shipped to China by cargo ship, and it is expected to be put on shelves in department stores and Japanese supermarkets in September. The physical store sales price is about 2,500 yen (1 yen, about 0.06 yuan), which is two to three times the domestic price. However, the company believes that Koshihikari rice will be welcomed by the wealthy Chinese.

Shenming plans to use this as an opportunity to expand its exports to China by 20 times, or 2,000 tons, by 2020; by 2025, it will expand its exports to 100 times today, or 10,000 tons.

According to the report, the reason why Japan officially promoted rice exports to China was because of the agreement reached at the Japan-China summit in May, and the facilities available to Japan could be increased.

According to the report, when China approved the import of Japanese rice in 2007, it was required to use the fine rice facilities and warehouses licensed by China to prevent the invasion of pests and diseases. Therefore, the export base in Japan is limited to the facility of the Agricultural Association in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Due to the relaxation of restrictions in China and the increase in facilities that meet the requirements, a total of seven have become new export bases. Japan’s export capacity to China’s rice has expanded from 7,000 tons per year to 20,000 tons. The bases in places such as Hokkaido will also start exporting to China.

Japan’s domestic rice consumption is gradually decreasing by 80,000 tons per year. To this end, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries initiated related projects and plans to increase the export volume of rice-related commodities, including Japanese sake and processed products, from 24,000 tons in 2016 to 100,000 tons by 2019. The Japanese government supports 59 exporters and more than 250 origin and producer groups.

According to the report, the Chinese rice market is huge, with a scale of about 150 million tons, accounting for 30% of the global market and 20 times that of Japan. How to open up the Chinese market is a topic facing the Japanese rice industry.
Date: 2018-08-01

Region: China Foreign Japan
Industry: Cereals and Oils Import and Export
Tags: China Japan Imported Rice Export