Climate change threatens Japan’s famous rice production

The Japanese government is now being forced to change its strategy to protect the country’s rice supply, which until now has been largely self-sufficient. Researchers in Niigata are working on creating a new heat-resistant koshihikari hybrid, which they are trying to breed by analyzing the DNA of current rice varieties. However, it may take at least ten years to breed the new breed, which is an urgent challenge.

The effects of climate change are felt worldwide: rice cultivation in many regions of the world, including the United States and Italy, has suffered serious damage due to drought and extreme weather. Italy, which accounts for half of the EU’s rice crop, has faced a significant crop loss this year, while California’s rice-growing areas in the US have shrunk to half. These supply problems also affect the Hungarian market, since a significant part of Hungarian rice consumption is covered by imports from Italy.

In Japan, prices that can be validated based on the quality classification of rice also show a serious decline. While 80% of the rice grown in Niigata Prefecture normally receives the highest grade, last year only 5% was able to achieve it due to heat damage.