Yoshito Shinno, chairman of the Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives (JA Zenchu), said some farmers and cooperatives cannot secure necessary amounts of agricultural diesel and packaging materials.
This instability threatens food production costs and operational stability for Japanese farmers as the global supply chain for oil-derived products remains volatile.
During a press conference on May 12, Shinno said he is concerned over the rising costs and supply deficits of fuel and materials [1, 2]. He said that some producers and cooperatives have already experienced cases where they could not obtain the required volume of diesel and packaging materials [1].
The shortages are linked to the prolonged instability in the Middle East, which has disrupted the supply of crude oil and naphtha [1, 2, 3]. Because naphtha is a primary feedstock for various agricultural plastics and materials, the ripple effect has reached the farm level. A spokesperson for JA Zen-Noh said the organization planned to implement sequential price revisions starting in April 2026 due to the difficulty of procuring naphtha [3].
To understand the scale of the impact, JA Zenchu conducted a survey on the Middle East situation in April 2026 [2]. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is monitoring 57 different oil-derived material items [4].
There is a discrepancy regarding the scale of the crisis. While Shinno highlighted specific cases of shortages among producers, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said it has not observed a nationwide supply shortage at this time [4].
Shinno said that the government is currently providing detailed support through official channels to address the gaps in supply [1].
“"Fuel and materials costs and supply shortages are a great concern."”
The tension between JA Zenchu's reports of localized shortages and the government's claim that there is no nationwide crisis suggests a fragmented supply chain. If naphtha-derived materials and diesel continue to rise in price or fluctuate in availability, Japan may face increased food inflation as production costs are passed from the farmer to the consumer.
