The average retail price of rice in Japan rose again in the week leading up to May 11, reaching 4,268 yen (about 29.4 U.S. dollars) per 5 kilograms, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said on Monday.
This marks an increase of 54 yen from the previous week, reversing a brief decline after 18 consecutive weeks of price hikes.
Compared to the same period last year, rice prices remain nearly twice as high, the data showed.
In terms of sales volume, rice sales in supermarkets across the country increased by over 8 percent year-on-year. Branded rice accounted for 69 percent of sales, while blended rice made up 31 percent.
As part of efforts to ease the price increase, the government has started to release its reserve rice to the market since March.
According to bidding rules in the first and second rounds of stockpiled rice auctions, wholesalers who acquired the rice must sell it to end-users such as supermarkets after polishing.
However, distribution has been concentrated in urban areas like the Tokyo metropolitan region, and smaller local wholesalers and supermarkets without relationships with the winning bidders have struggled to procure enough rice, local media cited industry sources.
While the ministry plans to release 100,000 tons per month between May and July, the outlook remains uncertain on whether this will lead to a drop in retail prices, Nikkei reported.
