Police in Tahara, Aichi Prefecture, are investigating the theft of about 800 cabbages from a field earlier this month.

According to police, the grower noticed the cabbages missing on the morning of Feb 5. The farmer said he had been on guard this year because cabbages had been stolen from his field last year, but added it was difficult to come up with effective countermeasures, NHK reported.

Due to last year’s extreme heatwave and a lack of rain, the price of cabbages has been rising, and was 2.5 times higher than average in mid-January. It is expected to remain higher than average for the rest of this month as well.

Aichi Prefecture is a major producer of vegetables, and in 2023, the production value of cabbages was 18.9 billion yen, the second highest in the country. Tahara City is the main production area.

Police have urged growers of fruit and vegetables across Japan to install surveillance cameras and sensors to try and prevent thefts.