As sweltering summers ravage crops, Japan bets on heat-resistant rice

Without heat-resistant humans, no one will be around to eat the rice.

From the article:

An agriculture ministry report released in July showed paddy rice yields in Japan are projected to decline about 20% by 2100 compared to the previous century.

But just 6 years ago:

"In 2018, researchers from the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) estimated that Japan's total rice yield may increase by roughly 20% by 2060-2080 because of carbon dioxide's “fertilizing effect” on plants." (Japan Times, 2018).

Oh, what could have been! There are plenty of other well documented reasons for the decline in rice production. Hint: it as more to do with politics than with so called anthropogenic global warming.

Now the government is just trying to cover it's own arse due to the utterly inempt and shortsighted acerage reduction program and protection of the domestic market, which means consumers here pay up to two to three times the price they should be if competition was allowed.

See: https://cigs.canon/en/article/20220425_6733.html

Now that Inuit people wear bermuda shorts into November, climate change might, maybe, a little bit, have something to do with it. Yes, yes, yes. The Japanese government is bad to some people. But the reality is that this hear-resistant rice is a necessity.

Rice harvest data only started in 1999?

excluding koshihikari? It’s #1 in sales

The country also needs high-yield types.

partly attributed to record inbound tourism this year 

While it's said because weather but still blaming on tourist.

Tourists consume less than 1% of the rice.

It takes about 10-12 years to develop a new variety of rice from the F1 cross to registration. Breeders in Japan prioritize grain quality, disease resistance, and yield. Breeding programs can shorten the process of developing a new variety by 2, 3 or even 4 years by using genetic markers to identify the traits they are trying to breed into new lines.

The program to produce "emihokoro" didn't start after the heat last year, it started years ago.

Japan could decide to participate in the 21st century and join the C4 Rice Project and accept the science regarding GMO plants.

partly attributed to record inbound tourism this year

But won't they just gobble up this heat resistant type too? I'm getting sick and tired off seeing this excuse being used on every article about rice.

"Tourists" are not mentioned in the article just by sakurasuki.

It might help if they stopped turning rice paddies into other uses. I live in Iwate, one of the highest yielding areas for rice, and there is a remarkable decline in the number of rice paddies. I would say that over the past 5 years, at least a tenth of rice paddies have been converted to other uses, or not being used at all. Fewer rice paddies, less rice. It doesn't take rocket scientist to figure that out. Just some old LDP oyajiis with their heads in the sand.

Along with higher demand - partly attributed to record inbound tourism this year - supermarkets across the country have struggled to keep rice shelves stocked in recent months and some have imposed quotas on how much customers can buy.

Well it uses the word "partly" but still it is not a factor. Before the pandamic inbound tourism in Japan was high and big number of Chinese tourists were visiting Japan. Chinese loves eating rice. Was there any rice shortage?

Extreme weather disrupts the supply and Japanese are hoarding rice in preparation for possible natural disasters increases the demand. Who would come up with foreigners eating all Japanese rice is either xenophobic or a moron.

yoshisan88

you are right and I'm corrected. However, we know that rice storage has to do with government policy and not the number of tourists.

Last year was no hotter than any other. Data rather than unsupported statements.

If you can’t feed them rice, feed them mochi..

…but seriously, the rapid decline of farmers in the next 20 years is going to be huge, and more of a worry.

Areas of Nagano I have been going to for 25+ years, that is number one reason for decline.

Last year was no hotter than any other. Data rather than unsupported statements.

Wrong, very wrong. 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded in Japan.

2024 will probably beat that and then some. As will 2025.

Do you see a pattern emerging?

The rice will be replaced into a new type that can withstand a slightly higher temperature. But the temperature will continue to increase rapidly, so what then? Trying to adapt to the climate crisis is futile. Instead, we must curb the climate crisis, if we wish to survive.

I like rice.

No poor harvest

Question: Why is there a shortage of rice and why are prices high?

Answer: Some have said that it's due to lean crops as a result of last year's scorching summer, or from an increase in inbound tourism, but neither of these is the main reason.

> The crop situation index for rice grown in 2023, indicating the amount of the rice harvest, was 101 -- around the same as an average year. In contrast, the crop situation index for 1993, which led to the so-called "rice riots of the Heisei era," was 74. Some suggest that a lean harvest of high-quality rice caused a shortage of the crop, but the harvest was not bad.

> A mechanism that has lasted for over 50 years

Q: What is the main factor, then?

A: The reason there is a shortage of rice is because of the acreage reduction policy which decreases the amount of land devoted to cultivation. Under acreage reduction, rice production is cut to raise market prices, and the government provides subsidies to rice farmers who switch to other crops such as wheat or soybeans. Japan has continued this policy for over 50 years.

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240823/p2a/00m/0bu/024000c

High heat disrupts the accumulation of starch inside rice grains, causing them to appear more opaque, mottled with white flecks and less desirable for human consumption, impacting the crop's market value.

I was told koshihikari grains get white spots if it is too hot, and this sounds the same. Its not so much that it doesn't grow but that its appearance is affected and they can't sell it for a premium any more.

I mostly eat Basmati and Jasmine so I’m not particularly bothered about this.