The amount of rice available on the market in Japan has increased compared to the same time last year, marking the first rise in two years and nine months.

According to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries, private rice stockpiles—the amount of rice circulating in the market—had been below the levels of the previous year since September 2022.

However, as of the end of May this year, private rice stocks reached 1.48 million tons, up 30,000 tons from the same time last year. This figure includes 197,000 tons of reserve rice sold through competitive bidding.

The ministry says the increase was driven by more reserve rice being released into the market and businesses deciding to sell off rice they had been holding in storage.