June 13, 2008

Japan's beef consumption drops 3 percent on-year in April
   
  

Beef consumption in Japan during April has fallen 3 percent on-year to 72,523 tonnes due to rising prices of imported beef.

Monthly consumption of imported beef dropped 9 percent on-year to 40,632 tonnes while Japanese domestic beef grew 7 percent on-year to 31,891 tonnes.

Rising prices of imported beef have contributed greatly to the declining consumption. Average retail price of imported chilled loin cuts had increased 8 percent to JPY 3,960 per kg in 12 months, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).

The drop in beef consumption could also be due to the rising chicken demand, despite a sharper rise in retail value than imported beef. Average retail price of chicken thigh cuts was JPY 1,300 per kg in April, up 10 percent on-year.

During the first week of June, there are further price increases in both imported and domestic beef (chilled loin cuts), averaging JPY 4,090 per kg and JPY 7,050 kg respectively, according to the most recent MAFF retail survey.

US$1 = JPY 107.8 (June 13, 2008)