PokeMarche has launched the “Let’s Eat More Rice Project” to consider the future of rice farming and will make purchase volumes and inventory levels during the campaign visible on a dedicated page. Opening inventory is 428 tonnes, and progress updates will be provided for the period from 5 November to 18 December.
Ame Kaze Taiyo,Inc., which operates PokeMarche, has published a dedicated page showing rice purchase volumes within one of Japan’s largest direct-from-producer apps. The campaign runs from 5 November to 18 December 2026. Opening inventory is 428 tonnes, and the page will reflect the reduction in inventory as purchases are deducted. The campaign covers white rice and brown rice sold on PokeMarche, and no registration is required.
Private-sector inventories are forecast at approximately 2.52 million to 2.70 million tonnes, which would be among the highest levels since statistics began. This is well above the upper benchmark considered indicative of stable prices, raising concerns about excess inventory.
Annual per-capita rice consumption fell from 8.24 million tonnes in 2008 to 6.83 million tonnes in 2025, while per-capita consumption over the same period declined by approximately 15%, from 61.4 kg to 52.0 kg. The number of rice-growing businesses operated by producers also fell from 952,000 in 2015 to 538,000 in 2025.
In a survey of PokeMarche producers, approximately half of respondents indicated that inventories could increase from the usual level. Eating 2 additional bowls of rice per week would increase consumption by approximately 470,000 tonnes on a brown-rice equivalent basis, and is expected to bring inventories close to the benchmark level for most of the period.