The Japan Weather Association, a general incorporated foundation, has been developing a product demand forecasting business using weather data since 2017, and has now announced a new initiative to provide “vegetable market price forecasts.”
Vegetable market prices are greatly affected by weather conditions such as temperature and rainfall, and poor or abundant harvests have a major impact on distribution volumes and prices. To address this, the Japan Weather Association utilized its weather data and various types of data related to agricultural crop transactions. It has built a new initiative that systematically analyzes how weather conditions in vegetable-producing areas affect growth and distribution volumes, and forecasts vegetable transaction prices and transaction volumes in major markets nationwide.
The target vegetables include the six main items—cabbage, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, daikon radish, carrots, and onions—as well as about 50 items in total, including tomatoes, green peppers, and spinach. Covering 14 major markets nationwide, the service provides forecasts of transaction prices and quantities up to 15 weeks ahead. To help solve this issue, the association has added a “vegetable market price forecast” function to its business weather forecast app, “biz tenki.” Users can easily check forecast trends on a smartphone and use the information for procurement and sales planning, as well as for considering menus to be offered at restaurants and other food-service establishments.
To make the service easier for small and medium-sized businesses to use, information can also be obtained through a smartphone app. By enabling the entire supply chain—including production areas, wholesalers, distribution processors, manufacturers, retailers, and general consumers—to make use of the information, the association aims to eliminate losses across society as a whole.
