End of 47-Year Japan Rice Program Signals Ramen Wheat Boost
- Fukuoka expanding production of local variety of ramen wheat
- Rice farmers may seek out other crops, tap into rising demand
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The end of Japan’s four decades of rice-market control could be good news for noodle lovers.
That’s because rice farmers may plant alternative crops like wheat once government control ends by March 31 and look to tap into rising demand for ramen. Fukuoka, on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, is expanding production of a locally-developed variety of grain known as Ra-Mugi that’s designed to be perfect for tonkotsu ramen: a dish of cloudy white pork broth, with noodles and slices of pork that originates in the region.