Updating Japan Rice The Nikkei reported today that Japanese Prime Minster Shinzō Abe's government plans to change the country's rice price support mechanism in order to adapt to the dynamics of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. Under the plan, rice farmers will no longer be compensated for limiting rice production under the so-called "gentan" policy, nor will they receive payments to offset low prices in the marketplace. Instead, farmers would pay into an insurance fund that would make payments during periods of lower prices.If Japan achieves this policy change, it will leave the U.S. as the only major rich country with a more market-distorting farm support policy. Europe has been moving toward decoupled payments and non-c...

TAGS – Farm Inputs, Asia, North America