More Japanese farmers are planning to lower their rice production and switch to wheat and soybean this year amid rising grain prices caused by Russia's war in Ukraine, according to a government survey.
Among Japan's 47 prefectures, 37 said as of the end of April that they will reduce cooking rice acreage from a year earlier, up from the 22 prefectures that responded the same way in the previous January survey, said the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.
"An increasing number of farmers are switching to wheat and soybean productions as their global prices are surging," a ministry official said, adding that demand for such crops produced in Japan has already been strong.