Soybean prices soaring Tofu and other price increases are also due to lack of containers

Prices are rising for products that are indispensable to daily dining, such as tofu and fried tofu.

Due to the soaring price of soybeans as a raw material and the shortage of containers required for transportation, some tofu makers have already begun negotiations to raise prices with their supermarkets.

The transaction prices of soybeans, which are the raw materials for tofu and fried tofu, are soaring both domestically and importedly. It is a factor.

In addition, with the normalization of economic activities, there is a shortage of containers required for transportation, and freight rates are rising.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the retail price of tofu has been declining for more than 10 years. It is difficult to maintain the market, "he said, and issued a document complaining to the retail industry such as supermarkets for the first time in 14 years.

Some tofu makers have already begun negotiations with their supermarkets to raise prices.

The tofu maker headquartered in Saitama City has raised the price of some products such as tofu and fried tofu using domestic soybeans by about 5% to 10% from June to about 150 customers such as supermarkets. I requested.

This is the first request for a price increase in 12 years, and according to the manufacturer, about 80% of our business partners responded that they would accept the price increase, so we will raise the shipping price from this month onward.

Also, regarding tofu made from imported soybeans, we have no choice but to consider raising the price in the future due to rising futures prices in the United States and a shortage of containers.

Hiroshi Iwasaki, executive officer of the tofu maker "Asahiko", said, "Tofu is a" price honor student "whose selling price is almost the same for 30 years. We have made efforts to prevent this from being reflected. However, this time, raw material costs and distribution costs have risen sharply like never before, exceeding the limits of a manufacturer. "

Soybeans are soaring both domestically and imported

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the transaction price of soybeans is soaring for both domestic and imported soybeans.

The average price of domestic soybeans produced in 2020 was 11,295 yen per 60 kg, up 9% from the previous year.

While demand for soybean products such as soymilk and natto has increased due to heightened health consciousness, production has been sluggish due to unseasonable weather caused by heavy rain, and prices have risen for the third consecutive year.

Imported soybeans, which account for about 80% of the domestic demand for edible soybeans, are also affected by the increase in imports from China and rising demand as biofuels. Has risen by more than 60% for a while since last summer.

Price increase movements Global container shortages spur

The global shortage of containers is spurring the movement to raise the price of tofu.

Most of the imported soybeans that are the raw material for tofu are transported by container ship from ports on the west coast of the United States and reach Japan.

After that, some of the container ships will head to China, where they will be loaded with goods for export to the United States, such as home appliances, automobile parts, and furniture, and will return to the west coast again.

However, the rapid economic recovery after the corona caused a change in the balance between supply and demand of containers that support global logistics.

According to the Japan Maritime Center, which is investigating world shipping, the amount of containers shipped from Asia to the United States from January to July was last year against the backdrop of active personal consumption in the United States, where the economy recovered quickly. 33% increase compared to the same period.

As a result, the fare for containers has soared, and the fare for the route from Shanghai, China to Los Angeles on the west coast was $ 11,150 per 40-foot container in July, compared to January last year before the spread of the infection. It rose 6 times.

Meanwhile, the current fare for the route from Los Angeles to Yokohama is $ 2820, which is nearly four times as wide as the fare for the United States and Japan.

For this reason, there has been a growing movement among shipping companies to concentrate containers on routes to the United States, which are more profitable, rather than routes to Japan, where fares are cheaper.

After transporting luggage to the United States, many of the containers do not go to Japan and are returned to China in an empty state.

You can't earn a freight by carrying an empty container, but shipping companies can make enough money because it doesn't take much time to unload and can be routed to the United States faster than usual.

As a result, the number of containers heading to Japan has become insufficient, and Japanese companies have been unable to secure the number of imported wines from the United States, which has had the effect of suspending sales.

Go Nakajima, director of the logistics company Nisshin, which arranges containers, said, "Japan is" losing "and" buying "containers, and it is difficult to bring containers to Japan for about 30 years. I am involved in marine transportation, but this is the first time that there is such a shortage of containers, the way the supply chain is turned has changed, and past experience is no longer valid. ".

Expert "Fares will remain high until next year"

Regarding the soaring freight rates of containers to the United States, Professor Takuma Matsuda of Takushoku University, who is familiar with international logistics, said, "The outbreak of the new corona stopped the production of many products in China, and the flow of container cargo also stopped once. However, since last summer, the demand for nesting in the United States has led to a sudden increase in container transportation, which has triggered a sharp rise in prices. There are some situations where we cannot secure enough, and the situation where demand exceeds supply and freight rates reach record highs has been prolonged. "

Regarding the outlook for the future, "Until the Christmas sales season in the United States, cargo movements are active, container shortages and freight rates remain high, and prices will return to normal during the Chinese New Year, when exports to the United States will decrease in February next year. There is a high possibility that it will be around. There will be occasions when daily necessities such as tofu and natto, which have relatively low selling prices and a high ratio of transportation costs, will suffer unless the price is raised. Is it analyzed?