Japan Matcha Market Updates

Japan's Agri-Food Exports Hit Record High as Matcha Boom Drives Green Tea Surge

Aug 04 2026

Japan's agricultural, forestry, fishery, and food exports reached an all-time high for the January–June period in 2026, according to data released by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) on August 4, 2026. Total export value came to ¥897.7 billion (approx. USD 6.0 billion, calculated at roughly ¥150/USD), a rise of about 10% compared to the same period last year. This marks the second consecutive year that first-half exports have set a new record.

Within this overall growth, "green tea" (緑茶) stood out as the single biggest gainer, with exports rising approximately 80% year-on-year. The report attributes this surge directly to the matcha boom overseas. Other categories that posted strong growth in the same period included beef, yellowtail (buri), and apples, though the report did not provide specific figures for these items.

Why Green Tea Exports Jumped Nearly 80% in H1 2026

The roughly 80% year-on-year increase in green tea export value is one of the clearest data points to come out of MAFF's H1 2026 report, and matcha is named as a primary driver. For buyers sourcing wholesale matcha from Japan, this figure confirms what many in the trade have already been sensing on the ground: overseas demand has been outpacing the growth rate of nearly every other agricultural export category tracked by the ministry.

A Second Straight Record-Setting Half

What makes this data notable is not just the size of the increase, but the fact that it follows an already record first half in the prior year. Two consecutive H1 periods setting new highs suggests the demand pattern is not a short-term spike but a sustained shift in how international buyers, including cafes and importers in the US, are incorporating Japanese matcha wholesale products into their sourcing plans.

What This Means for Japan Matcha Wholesale Buyers

As a company handling matcha wholesale exports from Japan on a daily basis, we can add some texture to these national figures. The export data reflects what we've observed directly with our producer and processing partners: order volumes for both ceremonial grade matcha and tencha (the shade-grown tea leaf used to produce matcha, before it is stone-milled into powder) have been running noticeably ahead of prior-year levels since early in the 2026 season. Tencha supply is highly seasonal, concentrated around the first harvest (ichibancha) in late April through May, and this narrow production window means that when overseas demand accelerates as sharply as the MAFF data suggests, buyers who wait until autumn to place orders for ceremonial grade lots often find that the best-quality stock from that year's first harvest has already been allocated.

We have also seen tightening at the wholesale negotiation stage, particularly for smaller-lot ceremonial grade matcha purchases. Processors and tea farms working with export-oriented distributors are increasingly prioritizing buyers who can commit to advance contracts or seasonal forward orders, rather than relying purely on spot purchases. For cafe owners and buyers in the US market, this points toward a practical takeaway: locking in supply commitments earlier in the year, ideally before or shortly after the spring harvest, is becoming a more reliable way to secure both volume and price stability than waiting for late-year restocking.

Beyond Matcha: Beef, Yellowtail, and Apples Also Rose

The MAFF report also names beef, yellowtail (buri), and apples as categories that saw large increases in export value during the same January–June period, though it does not break out specific percentage figures for these items as it does for green tea. This broader growth across multiple food categories suggests that Japan's push to expand agricultural and food exports is gaining traction across sectors, not just in tea.

Japan's 2030 Export Target and Government Response

Agriculture Minister Suzuki commented on the results, stating that reaching the government's 2030 target of ¥5 trillion (approx. USD 33.3 billion) in agri-food exports will require an annual growth rate of 24.1% over the remaining five years, and that a fundamental acceleration in pace is essential. To support this goal, MAFF has stated it will work on further sales pushes into local overseas supermarkets and on diversifying export destinations toward regions such as Southeast Asia and Islamic-majority countries.

For buyers of matcha wholesale supplier Japan products, this signals that government-level support for tea and food exports is likely to continue, which industry observers suggest could help stabilize longer-term supply infrastructure even as near-term demand remains tight. It also suggests that Japan's export strategy will increasingly look beyond its traditional US and European markets, a shift that could eventually affect how supply is allocated across regions.