Japan's Rice Prices Likely to Fall in Coming Months

Tokyo, April 6 (Jiji Press)--Many people in the Japanese rice industry expect prices for the staple food to fall over the next three months amid rising inventories, an industry group said Monday.

The diffusion index for rice price outlooks stood at 27 in March, nearly flat from 26 in the previous month, staying below the bullish-or-bearish dividing line of 50 for six consecutive months, according to the group that includes the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, or Zen-Noh.

The index for rice supply and demand outlooks dropped 5 points to 21, the lowest level since September 2021, indicating growing expectations for sufficient supply.

The report for March was based on a survey of 131 respondents, including rice producers, buyers, wholesalers and retailers.

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