NIIGATA, Jul 24 (News On Japan) - Japan continues to face a prolonged heatwave, and the lack of rainfall is severely impacting the country's rice production, including the renowned Uonuma Koshihikari variety in Niigata Prefecture.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the average retail price of rice nationwide fell by 13 yen from the previous week, reaching 3,589 yen per 5 kilograms during the week ending in mid-July. This marks the eighth consecutive week of price declines, with the price dropping into the 3,500-yen range for the first time since the week of January 6th—26 weeks ago.
While prices fall, the situation in the fields is growing increasingly dire ahead of the autumn harvest.
In Minamiuonuma, a well-known rice-growing area in Niigata, a month-long absence of significant rainfall has left paddies parched and cracked. The dry conditions are exacerbated by the extreme summer heat, with the ground splitting apart and the rice plants visibly deteriorating.
Abe Kaoru, a local rice farmer cultivating Koshihikari, showed how parts of his paddy field have become hardened and completely devoid of water. He explained that it hasn’t rained for more than 10 days, and the soil has dried to the point where it resembles a mosaic of broken tiles. The rice plants, he said, are now thin, weak, and turning yellow, with leaves showing signs of wilting.
Compared to a similar drought two years ago, this year’s rice appears even less vibrant and more discolored. "Fertilizer can’t be absorbed without water," Abe said. "Even if we apply it, it has little effect."
Unless significant rainfall comes by early August, when the rice grains begin to form, the harvest could shrink by as much as 10 percent compared to a normal year.
"I want to make sure we can deliver rice to our customers," Abe added. "Every day, I look up at the sky, hoping the forecast will finally show rain."
The drought is affecting a broader swath of the country. In parts of Hokuriku and Tohoku, rainfall during the rainy season was less than half the usual amount, raising concerns about water shortages.
In Joetsu, Niigata, the local government has set up a drought response task force due to falling dam water levels and is asking 46,500 households in the area to reduce water use by more than 40 percent.
Meanwhile, Minamiuonuma is drawing water from roadside wells to supply irrigation canals in an effort to sustain the rice crop.
Source: FNN
