Glutinous Rice Price Trend and Forecast 2026-2027

Japan paid the most for glutinous rice in Q3 2026: USD 1,350/MT, up 1.4% from USD 1,331/MT in Q2. High import costs and steady demand from retailers keep Japanese prices above the other three markets. Worldwide, the average rose 1.5% to USD 968/MT from USD 954/MT, mostly because higher paddy and milling costs and firm demand from food makers and retailers led millers to raise prices in all four markets. What about Q4 2026? We expect a global average somewhere in the USD 945-1,020/MT range, with paddy prices, harvest size, milling and freight costs, festival demand and demand from food makers doing most of the work.

Glutinous rice, also called sticky rice, is a rice type with a very high content of amylopectin starch that becomes sticky when cooked. It is used in desserts, dumplings, snacks, rice cakes and sauces across Asia. Prices in this report refer to milled glutinous rice in bulk bags and are quoted per metric ton. They depend on paddy prices, milling costs, freight and demand from food makers and retailers.

Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China are the main producers and exporters, and Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries import it. Mills buy paddy, remove the husk and polish the grain. Paddy costs and the size of the harvest set the price, and festivals such as Lunar New Year lift demand.

Glutinous Rice Price Forecast for 2026

Prices should rise modestly through the rest of 2026. Paddy and milling costs are firm and demand from retailers is steady. Large paddy stocks limit the size of the increase. Year on year, the global average has moved from USD 928/MT to USD 968/MT, an increase of 4.3%.

Risks to the Q4 outlook lean in both directions, with no clear bias. What could push prices higher? Higher paddy prices, poor harvests or stronger demand around festivals would lift prices. What could pull them lower? Larger harvests, lower paddy prices or weaker demand from food makers would lower prices.

For the Quarter Ending September 2026

Glutinous Rice Prices Q3 2026:

• Vietnam: USD 740/MT
• Thailand: USD 840/MT
• China: USD 940/MT
• Japan: USD 1,350/MT

Glutinous Rice Prices in Vietnam

Prices in Vietnam firmed 1.5% in Q3 2026 to USD 740/MT, compared with USD 729/MT in Q2. Vietnamese prices rose as the demand from food makers and retailers improved. The current level is 4.8% above the Q3 2025 average of USD 706/MT. Vietnam finished Q3 2026 23.6% below the four-market average of USD 968/MT.

Why did the price of Glutinous Rice change in Q3 2026 in Vietnam?

Vietnam rose. Demand from food makers and retailers improved, paddy and milling costs increased, and millers raised prices. At USD 740/MT, Vietnam is 3.5% higher than in Q4 2025, when the average was USD 715/MT, and the global average is 3.2% higher over the same period. On the global measure the average was 1.5% higher over the quarter.

Glutinous Rice Prices in Thailand

Thailand recorded a 1.3% gain in Q3 2026, with the average reaching USD 840/MT against USD 829/MT in Q2. Thai prices rose as the demand from retailers improved. A year earlier, in Q3 2025, the average stood at USD 807/MT, which makes the current price 4.1% higher. The four markets averaged USD 968/MT in the quarter, so the price in Thailand was 13.2% lower.

Why did the price of Glutinous Rice change in Q3 2026 in Thailand?

Thailand rose. Demand from retailers improved, import costs increased, and millers raised offers. This leaves Thailand 3.2% higher than at the end of 2025, when the average was USD 814/MT, while the global average is 3.2% higher over the same period. For comparison, the global average moved 1.5% higher over the same quarter.

Glutinous Rice Prices in China

The Q3 2026 average for China stood at USD 940/MT, an increase of 1.2% on the USD 929/MT recorded in Q2. Chinese prices rose as the demand from food makers and retailers improved. Taking Q3 2025 as the base, at USD 905/MT, the latest quarter is 3.9% higher. In comparison with the average of USD 968/MT across the four markets, the price in China was 2.9% lower.

Why did the price of Glutinous Rice change in Q3 2026 in China?

China rose. Demand from food makers and retailers improved, paddy and milling costs increased, and millers raised prices. From USD 914/MT at the close of 2025 to USD 940/MT in Q3 2026, the price in China has risen 2.8%, and the global average has risen 3.2%. The global average shifted 1.5% higher in the same quarter.

Glutinous Rice Prices in Japan

Japan registered a 1.4% increase in Q3 2026, taking the average to USD 1,350/MT from USD 1,331/MT in Q2. Japanese prices rose as the demand from retailers improved. Against the USD 1,292/MT recorded in Q3 2025, the current average represents a 4.5% increase. Japan ended the quarter 39.5% above the group average of USD 968/MT.

Why did the price of Glutinous Rice change in Q3 2026 in Japan?

Japan rose. Demand from retailers improved, import costs increased, and importers raised prices. Across the first three quarters of 2026, Japan has moved up 3.2% from USD 1,308/MT in Q4 2025 to USD 1,350/MT, against a 3.2% gain for the global average. Across the four markets the average was 1.5% higher on the quarter.

For the Quarter Ending June 2026

Glutinous Rice Prices Q2 2026:

• Vietnam: USD 729/MT
• Thailand: USD 829/MT
• China: USD 929/MT
• Japan: USD 1,331/MT

Glutinous Rice Prices in Vietnam

Vietnam registered a 1.1% increase in Q2 2026, taking the average to USD 729/MT from USD 721/MT in Q1. Vietnamese prices rose as the demand from retailers strengthened. In Q2 2025 the average was USD 693/MT, so the market is 5.2% higher on a yearly basis. Relative to the four-market average of USD 954/MT, Vietnam traded 23.6% below in Q2 2026.

Why did the price of Glutinous Rice change in Q2 2026 in Vietnam?

Vietnam rose. Demand from retailers strengthened, import costs went up, and millers lifted prices. This followed a 0.8% gain in Q1 and left Vietnam 5.2% above its Q2 2025 average of USD 693/MT. The move then extended in Q3, taking the price to USD 740/MT. Across the four markets the average was 1.0% higher on the quarter.

Glutinous Rice Prices in Thailand

Thailand firmed 1.0% to USD 829/MT in Q2 2026, from USD 821/MT in Q1. Thai prices rose as the demand from retailers strengthened. This represents a 4.4% increase on the USD 794/MT recorded in Q2 2025. This places Thailand 13.1% below the four-market average of USD 954/MT for Q2 2026.

Why did the price of Glutinous Rice change in Q2 2026 in Thailand?

Thailand rose. Demand from retailers strengthened, import costs went up, and millers lifted offers. After a 0.9% gain in Q1, the quarter closed 4.4% above the USD 794/MT recorded in Q2 2025. The same direction continued in Q3, with the price reaching USD 840/MT. On the global measure the average was 1.0% higher over the quarter.

Glutinous Rice Prices in China

In Q2 2026, the average price in China rose 0.9% to USD 929/MT, compared with USD 921/MT in Q1. Chinese prices rose as the demand from retailers strengthened. The year-on-year change is a 4.3% increase, from USD 891/MT in Q2 2025. Against the four-market average of USD 954/MT, China stood 2.6% below in the quarter.

Why did the price of Glutinous Rice change in Q2 2026 in China?

China rose. Demand from retailers strengthened, import costs went up, and millers lifted prices. This came on top of a 0.8% gain in Q1, and the average ended 4.3% above its level of a year earlier, when it stood at USD 891/MT. Q3 added to the change, with the price at USD 940/MT.

Glutinous Rice Prices in Japan

Japan's average moved up 1.0% in Q2 2026, to USD 1,331/MT from USD 1,318/MT in Q1. Japanese prices rose as the demand from retailers strengthened. The Q2 2026 average is 5.1% above the USD 1,267/MT recorded in Q2 2025. Japan finished Q2 2026 39.5% above the four-market average of USD 954/MT.

Why did the price of Glutinous Rice change in Q2 2026 in Japan?

Japan rose. Demand from retailers strengthened, import costs went up, and importers lifted prices. Q1 had brought a 0.8% gain, and by the end of Q2 the price was 5.1% above the Q2 2025 average of USD 1,267/MT. The move then extended in Q3, taking the price to USD 1,350/MT. The global average shifted 1.0% higher in the same quarter.

Quarterly Glutinous Rice Price Trends

Glutinous Rice prices rose through 2025 and the first half of 2026 and rose again in the third quarter in all four markets. The global average moved from USD 897/MT in Q1 2025 to 911 in Q2, 928 in Q3 and 938 in Q4, then 945 in Q1 2026, 954 in Q2 and 968 in Q3, a net gain of roughly 7.9% across the window. Higher paddy and milling costs and steady demand from retailers lifted prices for six quarters.

What was Glutinous Rice Price in 2025?

2025 was a year of gradual increases for glutinous rice, with prices rising in each quarter in all four markets. Starting near USD 897/MT in Q1, the global average finished the year at 938 in Q4, a gain of about 4.6%. Higher paddy and milling costs and steady demand from retailers supported millers throughout the year.

Glutinous Rice Prices in Vietnam in 2025

In Vietnam, prices moved from about USD 681/MT in Q1 2025 to USD 715/MT by Q4, up roughly 5.0%. Vietnamese prices rose gradually as import costs and demand from retailers increased. At USD 740/MT in Q3 2026, Vietnam stands 3.5% above its Q4 2025 close. The same regional pattern is carried into the quarterly analysis above, where the quarter-by-quarter figures can be traced.

Glutinous Rice Prices in Thailand in 2025

In Thailand, prices moved from about USD 783/MT in Q1 2025 to USD 814/MT by Q4, up roughly 4.0%. Thai prices rose gradually as import costs and demand from retailers increased. The Q4 2025 close of USD 814/MT compares with USD 840/MT in Q3 2026, a 3.2% increase. The quarterly sections above show how the annual average developed over the year.

Glutinous Rice Prices in China in 2025

In China, prices moved from about USD 879/MT in Q1 2025 to USD 914/MT by Q4, up roughly 4.0%. Chinese prices rose gradually as import costs and demand from retailers increased. Relative to the end of 2025, the price in China is 2.8% higher at USD 940/MT. The quarterly breakdown above allows each stage of that path to be traced.

Glutinous Rice Prices in Japan in 2025

In Japan, prices moved from about USD 1,245/MT in Q1 2025 to USD 1,308/MT by Q4, up roughly 5.1%. Japanese prices rose gradually as import costs and demand from retailers increased. By Q3 2026 the average for Japan had reached USD 1,350/MT, 3.2% above the Q4 2025 close. The same regional pattern is carried into the quarterly analysis above, where the quarter-by-quarter figures can be traced.

How We Can Help

Expert Market Research: Your Source for Real-Time Glutinous Rice Price Intelligence

We keep a continuous eye on glutinous rice prices wherever it is produced or consumed at scale, tracing causation through paddy prices, milling costs, freight and demand from food makers and retailers. Our forecasts draw on production data, trade flows, input cost trends and demand indicators across all reporting regions, so subscribers see why a price moved and not just that it did. Need pricing data, bespoke market analysis, or procurement advisory? Reach out to our team.