Japan faced a severe butter shortage on May 26, 2015 and threatened to cut the cake making process across the nation. The shortage was similar to the last year’s shortage faced that left the shelves of the supermarket empty.
It has been warned by the Japan Dairy Association that the demand for butter is expected to outstrip to more than 7,000 tons and has prompted the government to ready the emergency imports. Shortage of butter in 2014 had led to anguish among the shoppers especially during the Christmas time when the demand is usually high as it is time to bake cakes.
Many of the stores had introduced rationing in the stores which had the supplies. Yoshimasa Hayashi, the Agriculture Minister said, “The government plans to have butter imports on a scale sufficient for stable supply”. The minister added that the details of the emergency measure will be announced soon.
The actual problem is the shortage of dairy as the farmers are prioritizing raw material for selling raw milk. In recent decades the herds were cut as the demand had reduced with the ageing of the Japanese population. Butter imports in 2014 figures to 7,000 tons in May and further 3,000 tons in September. That was also the first time Tokyo had to ask stocks from the foreign dairy markets.
