TOKYO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Japan's new agriculture minister has pledged to make rice available at 2,000 yen (about 14 U.S. dollars) per 5 kilograms at retail outlets like supermarkets by early June.
Shinjiro Koizumi said on a TV program Friday night that the government plans to commence procedures to sell its stockpiled rice directly to retailers, bypassing auctions that have prevented government control over prices.
Koizumi, who assumed his post on Wednesday after his predecessor resigned following a remark about gifts of rice from supporters, said that under discretionary contracts, the government will release 300,000 tons of stockpiled rice initially and may provide additional supplies if demand arises.
The reserve rice sold under discretionary contracts is expected to reach store shelves as soon as early June, he said.
The average price of rice sold at Japanese supermarkets reached a record 4,268 yen per 5 kilograms in early May, roughly double last year's level, partly due to a poor harvest in the summer of 2023.
According to official data released Friday, Japan's rice prices in April went up a whopping 98.4 percent compared to the same month a year earlier, a record surge since the government started keeping comparable data in 1971. ■
