Farmers in Vietnam and Thailand, who are competing to export rice to the world, are being encouraged to increase their rice yields using Japanese rice varieties in a bid to boost their rice exports to the Japanese market. Therefore, Cambodia should also study this potential, because the vast land area in the country may also have the potential to seize this opportunity.
According to a report by Japan News, one type of Japanese rice that farmers in both countries are being encouraged to grow is a variety called japonica. The japonica variety is a short-grain rice variety similar to the rice variety that farmers in Japan have been expanding their production of amid the rise of a Japanese dish called Washoku.
The same source said that Vietnam and Thailand, which are among the world’s top three rice exporters, are expecting an increase in their rice exports to Japan.
In addition to Japonica rice, farmers in both countries are also cultivating another type of rice called Sasanishiki. Both types of rice are only available at supermarkets in Bangkok, where a 5-kilogram bag can be sold for about $8.50.
A 44-year-old Thai farmer claimed that rice from Japonica rice can sell for more than domestic rice, but even so, the rice that Thailand is exporting to the Japanese market is still domestic rice.
In Vietnam, it was reported that on the 5th In June, the Vietnam Rice Industry Association exported 500 tons of rice for the first time, this particular japonica variety. The association said the new brand of rice was developed with an eye on sales in Japan, where consumers are more environmentally conscious and have strict quality standards.
The association’s president, Bui Ba Bong, said Japan’s current rice shortage is a good opportunity for Vietnamese rice to enter the high-end market.
According to a Reuters report, The price of rice in the Japanese market has been rising for years and is still rising due to a shortage of supply.
The same source reported that in late 2024 and early 2025, the Japanese rice market was facing a supply shortage of approximately 400,000 tons, causing the price of rice to rise by 41 percent, to nearly $28 per 5-kilogram bag. Rice prices in Japan have risen to the point of shaking the Japanese government.
Regarding the Japonica rice variety, an agricultural expert claimed that if Thailand and Vietnam can increase yields for the fertile land in Cambodia, he believes that Cambodian farmers can also increase yields. However, when farmers increase yields, where do they sell them?
He said that normally, exporting rice requires interaction between the market, exporters, and farmers. So it can’t just keep doing it.
