TOKYO -- Output of nori, the seaweed that is indispensable to onigiri rice balls and other Japanese cuisine, hit its lowest level in 51 years in the 2022 harvest year, due to bad weather and a red tide outbreak in the Ariake Sea, Japan's biggest seaweed producing region.
With farmers' prices having soared 46% from the previous harvest year, Japan's leading processed seaweed makers plan to raise the suggested retail price of seaweed for home use by up to 40% starting this month. The steep price increase for this familiar ingredient is likely to place a heavy burden on consumers.
