Food self-sufficiency rate hits 23-year low in FY 2016

August 9, 2017

TOKYO- Japan's food self-sufficiency rate hit a 23-year low on a calorie basis in fiscal 2016, which ended in March, due mainly to falling rice consumption, the farm ministry said Wednesday.

The self-sufficiency rate fell one percentage point from the previous year to 38 pct, its lowest level since 37 pct in fiscal 1993.

The drop was caused by significant falls in the production of wheat and other crops amid bad weather in addition to the continuing decline in rice consumption.

The Japanese government aims to raise the self-sufficiency rate to 45 pct by fiscal 2025, but meeting the target looks difficult.

The self-sufficiency rate shows how much domestic consumption is covered by domestic production.

Demand for meat is increasing, due to the westernization of dietary habits, while consumption of rice, with high levels of self-sufficiency, is steadily declining.

Per-capita annual rice consumption fell 0.2 kilogram to 54.4 kilograms, less than half the amount consumed 50 years ago. Jiji Press