OSAKA - Prices of leafy vegetables are rising sharply across Japan as prolonged rainfall and reduced sunlight in September damage crops and disrupt harvesting, with farmers warning that shortages could continue into winter and push prices even higher during the peak season for hot pot dishes.
Shoppers are already feeling the impact at supermarkets, where lettuce, spinach and Chinese cabbage have become considerably more expensive. One customer said lettuce had recently been selling for 298 yen or 398 yen, while another decided against buying vegetables after finding prices had roughly doubled.
At one supermarket, spinach was selling for 398 yen before tax, approximately twice its usual price, while even quarter-cut portions of Chinese cabbage had become increasingly expensive.
The main cause is the unusually wet weather that has affected much of Honshu throughout September. In Osaka, rainfall over the past month has reached approximately 1.5 times the seasonal average, while sunshine hours have fallen to around two-thirds of normal levels, creating unfavorable growing conditions for many vegetables.
A supermarket employee said lettuce had experienced the steepest increase, rising from just over 100 yen a head about a month earlier to more than 400 yen. The increase represents a roughly fourfold rise in a relatively short period.
Leafy vegetables are particularly vulnerable to prolonged rainfall, which can damage crops and make harvesting difficult. When mature vegetables are repeatedly exposed to rain, their quality can deteriorate rapidly, leaving farmers unable to ship produce even when it is ready for harvest.
The employee said shipments had declined nationwide, with some production areas suffering almost complete crop losses. The resulting supply shortage has pushed prices higher across the country rather than limiting increases to particular regions.
The situation is also becoming increasingly serious for farmers preparing their winter crops.
At a cabbage farm in Sano, Osaka Prefecture, rows of healthy green plants are interrupted by sections of flooded farmland where newly planted seedlings have failed to develop.
The farmer explained that persistent rain has prevented water from draining away, leaving the ground saturated and stopping young cabbage plants from establishing roots. Some seedlings have barely grown since planting, with their condition visibly worse than those growing in better-drained sections of the field.
Heavy rainfall has also compacted the soil, depriving plant roots of the oxygen they need to grow. According to the farmer, roughly one-third of the crop has been affected by these conditions.
Large quantities of cabbage seedlings remain inside a greenhouse because the surrounding fields are still too wet for planting. The farmer said the ideal planting period had already passed and that getting the seedlings into the ground as quickly as possible was becoming increasingly urgent.
Asked whether the remaining seedlings could still be planted in time, the farmer said the outcome depended entirely on the weather. If rain continued, there was little chance of completing the work successfully.
The consequences could extend well beyond the current harvest. Cabbage seedlings that farmers are struggling to plant now are intended for winter production, meaning delays or planting failures could result in reduced supplies several months from now.
The farmer warned that shortages of winter vegetables could become severe, potentially driving prices even higher during the colder months.
Current vegetable prices illustrate the scale of the disruption. Wholesale price comparisons based on one kilogram of produce show particularly sharp increases for leafy varieties, although the impact on household spending varies depending on the weight of each vegetable.
A typical supermarket bundle of spinach weighs around 200 grams, or one-fifth of a kilogram, putting its estimated price in the 200-yen to 300-yen range based on current market levels. A whole cabbage generally weighs about one kilogram, while a large Chinese cabbage can weigh approximately two kilograms, effectively doubling the per-kilogram cost for consumers buying an entire head.
A head of lettuce, weighing roughly 500 grams, is estimated at around 240 yen based on the broader price comparison, although actual supermarket prices have exceeded 400 yen in some locations.
Cucumbers, meanwhile, weigh approximately 100 grams each, putting their estimated price at around 50 yen apiece, or roughly 500 yen for 10.
Not all vegetables have been affected equally. Onions, daikon radishes and carrots remain relatively affordable, providing shoppers with alternatives as prices of leafy vegetables climb.
The difference is largely geographical rather than simply a matter of whether vegetables grow above or below ground. Produce shipped from Tohoku and Hokkaido has been less affected because those regions have experienced comparatively limited disruption from the prolonged rainfall seen elsewhere in Japan.
As a result, vegetables supplied from northern production areas have generally maintained more stable prices.
Leafy vegetables, particularly those with high water content, also present transportation challenges. Their delicate structure and limited suitability for long-distance shipping mean supermarkets often depend heavily on nearby growing regions. When local production is disrupted, retailers have fewer alternatives for maintaining supplies.
The prospect of continued high prices is raising concerns as temperatures begin to fall and Japan approaches the traditional winter season for hot pot dishes, which rely heavily on Chinese cabbage and other leafy greens.
With these vegetables also widely used in everyday cooking, households may increasingly need to adjust their shopping choices, replacing expensive leafy produce with more affordable alternatives where possible.
Much will depend on weather conditions over the coming weeks. Even if rainfall subsides, damage already suffered by existing crops and delays in planting winter vegetables could continue to affect market supplies.
Farmers and retailers are therefore warning that the current vegetable price surge may not be a temporary problem, with the effects of September's prolonged rain potentially extending well into winter.
Source: ABCTVnews
