Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

【News】 Fukushima cattle breeders troubled by untreated manure (Aug. 5, 2014)

  Yuma Ida Cattle breeders in some parts of Fukushima Prefecture are at a loss as to how to cope with the accumulation of cattle manure, because they are having difficulty selling them as fertilizers due to harmful rumors related to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The Fukushima prefectural government has been working with Tokyo Electric Power Co. to distribute manure with radiation levels below the government’s safety limit, but the moves are hindered by TEPCO’s failure to come to terms with transportation firms on distribution charges amid shortage of drivers and soaring fuel prices. Farmers’ criticism towards TEPCO is growing as they are worried that piles of … Continue reading

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【News】 Hog shipments predicted to mark largest drop in October due to spread of PED (Aug. 2, 2014)

Hit by an outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea, shipments of hogs are expected to post this year’s largest year-on-year drop in October, amounting to 88.9 percent of shipments a year before, Japan Pork Producers Association has announced. According to the association’s forecast compiled based on surveys on producers, the shipments in the July-December period are predicted to total 96.3 percent of the same period last year. Because of sluggish supply at home, pork imports have been maintained at high levels, and the association fears that the imports would increase further if this trend continues. The association is calling on producers to keep on taking disease prevention measures against PED, such … Continue reading

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【Series】 Japanese food worth sharing with world – “Ohira” Simmered Vegetables from Shizuoka Prefecture (Aug. 1, 2014)

“Ohira” is local cuisine in Shizuoka Prefecture served particularly at gatherings such as Buddhist memorial services. It’s a dish mainly with simmered root vegetables which are cut in large pieces to minimize the loss of nutrients. They also look gorgeous on the plate this way. Japanese home cooks make Ohira by cooking each vegetable separately in stock that is prepared for each vegetable using different combination of seasonings. The name Ohira came from how they serve the vegetables on large (ohkii) flat plates (hirazara). Everything except carrots is cooked in salty-sweet taste basically using soy sauce while carrots are cooked using no soy sauce to keep their bright color. As … Continue reading

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【News】 Co-operatives on the increase in Seoul (July 31, 2014)

  Zhezhu Jin The number of co-operative associations is rapidly increasing in Seoul, totaling 1,350 as of July 30, up 60 percent in two years. The rise is attributable to efforts by the Seoul municipal government to encourage establishment of co-operatives under the vision of “Seoul, the City of Co-operative” declared in July 2012. The vision was set up to cope with social issues that emerged with the rapid economic growth, including widening disparity of wealth, increase in unemployment and social unrest caused by dismantling of communities. The city said co-operatives can play a role in solving such problems, as citizens are increasingly concerned that the government’s neoliberalistic economic policies, … Continue reading

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【News】 Expanding the domestic production of licorice, an ingredient for herbal medicines, because of demand (July 30, 2014)

  Hayato Niki A move toward domestic production of medicinal plant licorice is getting active.  Licorice is used as an ingredient for herbal medicines of Kampo (Japanese adaptation of traditional Chinese medicine). This is because its stable supply is getting uncertain as China started to control licorice export on the ground of environmental protection.  Japan depends on China for most of licorice import now.  Some Kampo medicine manufacturers started to develop superior varieties or use contract farming. A research institute in Hokkaido applied for registration of a new variety suitable for Japanese climate. The institute is also promoting construction of cultivation systems such as development of harvesting machines. Roots of … Continue reading

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