Sake Rice Production Declines

"A glass of 'Kitano Nishiki,' a sake brewed from Kuriyama-grown rice. You can really taste the sweetness of the rice, and it's delicious."

With the growing global demand for Japanese food and, in December 2024, the registration of "traditional sake brewing" as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Japanese sake is drawing international attention.

However, sake breweries are facing the brunt of rising rice prices, as raw material costs continue to rise.

"The cost of rice has increased significantly, so we have no choice but to pass the price increase on to consumers," explains a sake brewery.

The price hikes are affecting sake rice producers as well.

"If things continue this way, we may see a reduction in the area planted with sake rice or even the disappearance of sake rice farmers," a sake rice farmer warns.

The "Reiwa Rice Crisis," which seems to have no end in sight, has put sake makers in a difficult position.

At Kobayashi Sake Brewery in Kuriyama Town, Hokkaido, a brewery with a history dating back to the Meiji period, the soaring price of rice is having a significant impact.

Kobayashi Sake Brewery’s Director, Kobayashi Beishu, states, "If the retail price of sake increases suddenly, restaurants and consumers will find it harder to afford."

Concerns are growing that the price increases may lead to a decline in sake consumption, with some consumers turning away from sake due to higher prices. To address the increasing cost of raw materials, Kobayashi Sake Brewery is also working on refining its rice milling process to improve efficiency.

"We are experimenting with 'flat milling,' which aims to reduce excessive polishing of the rice while maintaining a high yield, expecting to produce better sake," Kobayashi explains.

Similar to the price hikes seen in staple rice, the cost of sake rice, the key ingredient in Japanese sake, has also surged.

Hokuren, which handles nearly all sake rice production in Hokkaido, sets its sales prices by consulting with sake breweries nationwide. The 2024 sales price for Hokkaido-produced sake rice is 15,550 yen per 60 kg.

In contrast, the 2024 transaction price for "uruchi rice" (staple rice) surged to 24,500 yen, more than 9,000 yen higher than the previous year, surpassing the price of sake rice.

In the town of Shin-Totsukawa, Hokkaido, which boasts the largest sake rice production area in the prefecture, some farmers have already started shifting away from sake rice farming.

"The financial returns are higher from growing uruchi rice," says Kawamura Noboru, Deputy Head of the Pinne Sake Rice Producers Association. "Many farmers have quit producing sake rice."

In Shin-Totsukawa, 15 farmers were growing sake rice on about 148 hectares in the 2024 fiscal year. However, in 2025, this area is expected to shrink to just 100 hectares.

"Growing sake rice is more labor-intensive and complicated than uruchi rice. Naturally, farmers, as business owners, are not going to produce something that doesn't make money," Kawamura notes.

Unlike staple rice varieties like "Yume Pirika," sake rice is harder to cultivate, more labor-intensive, and commands a lower price, making it less appealing for farmers.

"If this continues, we may see further reductions in the area planted with sake rice or even the extinction of sake rice production," Kawamura predicts. "Eliminating the price gap between sake rice and uruchi rice would be the best solution."

Amid the ongoing "Reiwa Rice Crisis," Hokkaido-produced sake rice has been gaining recognition, but the key challenge remains finding a price that all stakeholders—consumers, sake manufacturers, and rice farmers—can accept.

Kobayashi Beishu concludes, "While costs are rising across the board, trying to bring prices back down to the original levels wouldn't be beneficial, even from a farmer's perspective. The goal should be to settle at a fair price, one that is balanced and reflects the current situation. This is the important part in resolving the rice crisis."

Source: HBCニュース　北海道放送