Rice farmers who say government data on yields is overstated actually misunderstand the rice crop situation index, the agriculture ministry said after announcing plans to cease publishing it — a declaration some experts say lacks accountability.
“The rice crop situation index isn’t a representation of how big or how small the harvest is, but a lot of farmers think it is,” farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi said in a regular news conference Tuesday.
The rice crop situation index — or the ratio of rice yield per 10 ares (1,000 square meters) to the average yield per 10 ares — shows the condition of the crop. For rice produced in 2024, for example, the crop situation index was in the same range as the previous year at 101, or 1% more rice than the average year, according to the agriculture ministry.
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