source:日本農業新聞 https://www.agrinews.co.jp/opinion/index/116049
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, demand for rice for rice flour in FY2022 is expected to be 43,000 tons, the highest ever. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, demand for rice for rice flour in FY2022 is expected to be 43,000 tons, the largest ever. However, the rice flour industry has a bitter past experience that prevents it from being happy about this momentum.
Following the rice flour boom around 2010, rice flour producing regions found a way to take advantage of the rice flour market. However, the production volume was only 37,000 tons compared to the demand of 17,000 tons. However, the production volume was 37,000 tons compared to the demand of 17,000 tons, resulting in a large gap, and inventories piled up. At the time, rice flour was not easy to use and was not suitable for a wide range of applications such as bread and noodles. Today, processing technology has improved, and the supply-demand balance has been achieved, but the key prerequisite is to establish stable sales channels and not let the rice-flour boom end there.
Some manufacturers have begun to develop value-added rice flour products. Kameda Seika, headquartered in Niigata City, opened a rice confectionery specialty store in late October in collaboration with Ginza Mitsukoshi, using plant-based ingredients such as rice crackers and rice rusks.
