Seiyu to sell Chinese rice at 149 stores ? The Daily Yomiuri

Seiyu GK will start selling Chinese-grown rice on Saturday at 149 stores in Tokyo, Shizuoka and five other prefectures in the Kanto region at 1,299 yen for five kilograms?more than 20 percent less than inexpensive domestic brands, the major supermarket chain has announced.

It will be the first time since 1994 that a major distributor will sell foreign-produced rice. In 1993 and 1994, Japan imported rice as an emergency measure due to a lean harvest. Observers say the move is in anticipation of the trend toward trade liberalization, to see how consumers react to the imported rice.

The rice, which is the same type as the domestic-produced Japonica rice, is grown in Jilin Province, in northeastern China.

?[We decided to sell the rice as] the price of domestic rice surged after the Great East Japan Earthquake, which led to a shortage of inexpensive rice,? a Seiyu official said at a press conference Thursday.

Seiyu plans to sell a certain number of Chinese rice brands by autumn, when domestic rice harvested in 2012 goes on sale. The company said it will see how the rice sells before deciding how to proceed.

Other major supermarket chain operators are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward Seiyu?s move.

?We don?t plan to sell foreign rice,? supermarket chain operator Aeon Co. said.

In the food service industry, Matsuya Foods Co., a major gyudon beef bowl chain operator, started using a mixture of Japanese and Australian rice at about 70 percent of its stores in late February.

Since 1995, Japan has accepted a certain amount of foreign-produced rice as tariff-free imports. The country currently imports 767,000 tons of such rice a year.

Most of the imported rice is used for processed food products or livestock feed. However, 100,000 tons are sold as a staple food, which is how Seiyu plans to sell the Chinese rice.

Seiyu?s move comes as the country moves toward liberalizing its trade?for example, through the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement negotiations.

The government currently imposes a 778 percent tariff on imported rice. If the tariff is removed or sharply reduced following the TPP talks, a large amount of foreign rice is expected to be imported to Japan.

Seiyu apparently decided to import the Chinese rice to gauge consumers? reactions in anticipation of such a scenario, according to observers.

via Seiyu to sell Chinese rice at 149 stores : Business : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri).

Source: http://walmarthelp.com/seiyu-to-sell-chinese-rice-at-149-stores-the-daily-yomiuri/

black forest ufc 144 fight card ufc 144 results acura nsx all star weekend 2012 howard hughes giada de laurentiis