Since rice quality has suffered greatly throughout Japan due to the extreme heat of recent summers, agriculture is increasingly relying on more heat-resistant rice varieties.
When rice is exposed to high temperatures during the ripening period in summer, its quality deteriorates significantly – and with it the financial stability of many farmers.
More heat-resistant varieties, on the other hand, are less susceptible to damage and may offer a rescue.
According to Niigata Prefectural officials, the heat-resistant variety “Shinnosuke” developed by the prefectural government was planted on 5,300 hectares this year, 20 percent more than last year.
Although growing this variety requires more time and effort, 94.7 percent of Shinnosuke varieties harvested (as of December 31, 2023) were classified as top-quality, even though last summer was extremely hot.
For this reason, the agricultural cooperative encourages farmers to grow this crop.
In a report on future rice cultivation prepared in December 2023, the Niigata Prefectural Government reiterated that it will take serious countermeasures to combat the increasing summer heat.
Specifically, the report proposes switching to the cultivation of Shinnosuke and other heat-resistant varieties, although the popular rice variety “Koshihikari” remains the main variety grown in the prefecture.
The report Farmers are also advised to adjust planting times and ensure adequate fertilization during the summer months.
“Niji-no-kirameki,” a variety developed by the National Agricultural and Food Research Organization, will be cultivated on about 7,500 hectares this year, 1.5 times more than in 2023.
JA Alps, an association of agricultural cooperatives based in Toyama Prefecture, said it had increased the area used to cultivate the heat-resistant variety “Fufufu” by 25 percent compared to the previous year, to 450 hectares.
Fufufu now accounts for over 10 percent of the rice grown in the JA Alps area of responsibility.
Last year, which was marked by record-breaking summer temperatures, the rice harvest was particularly badly affected.
In 2023, only 5 percent of the Koshihikari rice harvested in Niigata Prefecture was considered top-quality.
This figure sent shockwaves through the agricultural industry, as the ratio is normally around 80 percent.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the national average harvested rice quality for all rice varieties examined this year (except glutinous rice) was 61.3 percent, a staggering 17.3 percentage points drop from the previous year.
Rice quality is determined after agricultural cooperatives and other authorities conduct inspections of the harvested rice.
First-class rice must contain at least 70 percent high-quality grains and meet other requirements.
In terms of taste, the quality does not make much difference. However, since there is a price difference of several hundred yen between 60 kilograms of first- and second-quality brown rice, the impact on farmers’ income is significant.
Due to these circumstances, expectations for heat-resistant varieties are increasing as the extreme summer heat continues to grip Japan.
The agriculture The ministry said heat-tolerant varieties would account for 14.7 percent of all rice grown in Japan in 2023, up from just 9.9 percent in 2019.
The ministry is also pushing forward several other measures to combat the heat.
It allocated 270 million yen ($1.75 million) in a supplementary budget for fiscal year 2023 for experiments on heat-resistant farming techniques for rice, vegetables and other crops, in addition to 31 billion yen for drones to spray fertilizers, fog generators for use in greenhouses and other countermeasures.
As the extreme summer heat is expected to continue nationwide until mid-August, agriculture Minister Tetsushi Sakamoto spoke of a growing sense of crisis during a press conference after a Cabinet meeting on July 23, saying: “(The crops) are growing faster than usual.”
He urged farmers to take measures to prevent and mitigate heat damage, including applying fertilizers on time, ensuring adequate irrigation and avoiding delays in harvesting.
