Wholesale vegetable price hits record high in Japan
At one point, prices of potatoes and carrots were doubled from a year earlier. Higher prices could prompt consumers to tighten their purse strings.
Average vegetable prices at the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market through mid-December jumped 5% on the year to 268 yen ($2.28) per kilogram. This year's average is certain to surpass the record 262 yen in 1991, a year with an especially cold summer. Carrot, potato and Napa cabbage prices in January are forecast to be higher than the year earlier, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
In August, typhoons flooded potato and carrot farms in Hokkaido, and in September many regions were deprived of adequate sunlight by many cloudy and rainy days. Leafy vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage had disappointing growth, and wholesale prices in the latter half of October were double to triple those of the year earlier.
Ageing farmers are also a factor in the rise in prices. The average age of Japan's farmers in 2015 was 67, according to the farm ministry. The number of farming households dropped to 2.15 million, down 24% from 2005, and vegetable yields also fell 6% to 13.65 million tons in 2015. These trends seem to have continued through 2016.
source: asia.nikkei.com
