TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The humble rice bowl, a staple of Taiwanese cuisine, is becoming increasingly expensive to fill. Local bento shop owners across the island told TVBS on Monday (June 30) they are reluctantly absorbing rising costs as rice prices have climbed from NT$1,200 (about US$41.26) to NT$1,300 (about US$44.70) per 50 catties, a traditional Chinese weight measurement, representing an 8.3% increase. Taiwan's white rice prices have surged nearly 10% since January, primarily driven by a combination of increased exports to rice-hungry Japan and higher government procurement prices. Japan's unexpected domestic rice shortage has significantly boosted demand for Taiwanese exports, further pressuring local prices upward.
The price increases stem partly from policy decisions made by the Legislative Yuan (立法院), Taiwan's parliament, which voted late last year to adjust government procurement prices for public grain reserves. Following this directive, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA, 農業部) implemented a significant increase in the purchase price from NT$23 (about US$0.79) to NT$24.5 (about US$0.84) per kilogram during the first phase of 2025. This adjustment was designed to boost farmers' livelihoods, providing an estimated annual income increase of NT$20,000 (about US$687.72) per hectare for Taiwan's rice producers, many of whom operate small family farms that have struggled with rising production costs.
Addressing public concerns about rising food costs, Deputy Director-General Huang Chao-hsing (黃昭興) of the Agriculture and Food Agency (AFA, 農糧署, a key regulatory body under the Ministry of Agriculture) attributed the price increases primarily to a "comprehensive upgrade" of Taiwan's food industry, noting the NT$1.5 (about US$0.05) per kilogram rise in government grain purchase prices. Huang sought to downplay the impact of exports on domestic prices, emphasizing that Taiwan maintains strict controls on rice exports, keeping total volume between 20,000 to 25,000 tons annually. With domestic rice production hovering around 1.2 million tons per year, he insisted that export quantities represent only a small fraction of total production and should have minimal impact on local prices.
Official data released by the Agriculture and Food Agency paints a more detailed picture of the rice market's volatility. Statistics show the wholesale price of white rice has climbed by 5.6% to NT$40.23 (about US$1.38) per kilogram, while retail prices faced a more modest increase of approximately 4.17% to NT$46.76 (about US$1.61) per kilogram. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Ministry of Finance has projected that rice exports to Japan alone would exceed 10,000 metric tons this year — a significant portion of the total export quota — as Japanese importers scramble to compensate for their domestic shortage. Despite official assurances, many economists view this export surge as a contributing factor to Taiwan's domestic price increases. ◼