Japanese rice wholesalers and retailers on Monday called for improvements in what they see as the unbalanced distribution of government-stockpiled rice released last month to curb soaring prices.

The distribution of the 210,000 tons of stockpiled rice has been skewed toward certain areas, they said in a meeting with agriculture minister Taku Eto.

The stockpiled rice "has yet to spread throughout Japan," said Takaharu Iwasaki, chairman of the Japan Supermarkets Association and president of supermarket chain Life.

The average price of rice sold at supermarkets across the country in the week through April 6 rose ¥8 from the previous week to ¥4,214 per 5 kilograms, the 14th straight week of gain, the agriculture ministry said.

The price remains more than double the ¥2,068 average at the same period last year, despite stockpiled rice beginning to hit some store shelves.

At the meeting, Eto stressed the need to "restore a stable supply to consumers as soon as possible," and explained the government's plan to release additional stockpiled rice every month through July, just before the 2025 crop begins to be sold.

Many participants at the meeting voiced support for the additional releases, saying they will lead to lower prices, according to the ministry.

The ministry last month said that rice shortages and higher prices since last summer were the result of supply bottlenecks caused by distributors building up their inventories.

A wholesaler group said at Monday's meeting that member companies did not create extra inventories as their rice had fixed clients.