Niigata Starts Outside Shipments of Koshihikari Rice

Niigata, Sept. 12 (Jiji Press)--Farmers in Niigata Prefecture started on Thursday shipments out of the central Japan prefecture of Koshihikari rice harvested this year, a move expected to help relieve rice shortages in the country.

The Niigata chapter of the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, or Zen-Noh, held a ceremony in the city of Niigata to mark the start of the shipments.

Checks have shown that 95 pct of the 2024 harvest was first-grade, said Kazuo Endo, a local agricultural cooperative official. "We think we can deliver delicious Koshihikari rice from Niigata to consumers across Japan."

"Once Koshihikari hits the shelves, rice shortages at stores will be resolved. We hope that rice will reach people for whom it is not available, as soon as possible," an official at the Zen-Noh Niigata chapter told reporters.

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