内容摘要：Earlier this month, there was still a loud whirring sound at a desalination plant in southern Gaza as Jonathan Crickx of Unicef visited.

Earlier this month, there was still a loud whirring sound at a desalination plant in southern Gaza as Jonathan Crickx of Unicef visited.

But actual production was even lower than the estimate: 6.61m tonnes, Prof Nishikawa says."It is true that the demand for rice jumped, due to several factors - including the fact that rice was relatively affordable compared to other food items and a rise in the number of overseas visitors," a spokesperson for the agriculture ministry told the BBC.

"The quality of rice wasn't great due to unusually high temperatures which also resulted in lower rice production."Rice farmers have been unable to make enough money for many years, says 59-year-old Kosuke Kasahara, whose family have been in farming for generations.He explains that it costs approximately 18,500 yen ($125.70; £94.60) to produce 60kg of rice but the cooperative in his area of Niigata on the west coast of Japan offered to buy it last year at 19,000 yen.

"Until three or four years ago, the government would even offer financial incentives to municipalities that agreed to reduce rice production," he adds.The ministry spokesperson confirms that the government has offered subsidies to those choosing to produce wheat or soybeans instead of rice.

Meanwhile, younger farmers have been choosing to produce different types of rice that are used for sake, rice crackers or fed to livestock because demand for rice in Japan had been falling until last year.

"I got tired of fighting retailers or restaurants that wanted me to sell rice cheaply for many years," says Shinya Tabuchi.The tight margin between the parties in the House means Trump and his allies need near-unanimous support from Republicans to pass the measure.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he wants the bill passed by Monday 26 May, the Memorial Day holiday in the US.Although it is possible the bill could come up in the full House on Wednesday or Thursday, it is unlikely that the Speaker will risk a vote unless he is confident that the measure will pass.

Even if the bill passes the House, it is a long way from becoming law. The legislation would move to the Senate - and then be subjected to a likely negotiation process to reconcile two versions of the bill - before it can be sent to the president for his signature.The fate of US President Donald Trump's centrepiece budget plan remains mired in uncertainty despite a last minute, in-person pitch to House Republicans on Tuesday.