Japanese retail and dining chains are boosting their in-house rice production to stabilize supply. The move comes amid continued shortages and high prices of the staple grain.
Aeon Agri Create is a farming subsidiary of major supermarket chain Aeon.
It produces vegetables and other crops nationwide.
The company has also been growing rice on a farm north of Tokyo, and has increased cultivation to 30 hectares this year. That's up 50 percent from last year.
The harvested rice is available at some Aeon stores.
It says it's considering boosting production further next year and beyond.
Aeon Agri Create executive Kawaguchi Masaaki noted the higher average retail rice prices compared to last year and the sense of crisis.
He said, "We'd like to continue to pursue stable offerings and reasonable prices."
Meanwhile, major beef-bowl chain operator Matsuya Foods Holdings has teamed up with other firms, including a startup, in a bid to grow its own rice.
They are experimenting with a cultivation method that doesn't require filling paddies with water.
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