The
price of stockpiled Japanese rice has become lower 4,000 Japanese yen per 5kg
last June the first ever the lopsided argument regarding increasing rice prices
involved with Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan
Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) and intermediate dealers has been continued since
last year. Around last summer, the then MAFF
minister mentioned the rice price would decline soon based on regular supply
and demand balance. At the same time, JA
executives and dealers claimed the past rice prices were very low so that the
current price rice level is not abnormal. However, rice producers nationwide have not obtained more profits
compared to the past years. So, the related
context indicates the fact-rice consumers and rice producers have been
suffering from the jump-up trend of rice price-is neglected totally. As they do not clarify the reason and
background of the price rise at all, it is obvious that supervisors and
intermediates have been neglecting trouble and anxiety among consumers and
producers. Why do they continue such
childish behavior? The only reason is
supposedly in their vested interests. Moreover,
supervisory entities, i.e. MAFF and JA embrace propensity not to respond to
voices and opinion of consumers and producers seriously. It can be said they have lost meaning of
existence as a functional organization. In
addition, long-term acreage reduction policy of Japanese rice may have facilitated
collusion among stakeholders. Anyway, passing
through outage of the organizational function should not be permitted. In terms of House of Counsellors election in this July, voters should select
who can change the existing organizational structure, focus on the life-living
state of normal citizens and establish meaningful food security policy.
(Takashi Higashi, President, TCS)
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