Author Archives: The Japan Agrinews

A bill for the Livestock Industry Management Stabilization Revised Act, including a new system to provide compensatory subsidies to producers of law milk for manufacturing uses, was passed in a plenary session of the House of Councilors on June 9 by a majority vote with support from the ruling bloc led by the Liberal Democratic Party. The Revised Livestock Stabilization Act, which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regarded as “the first drastic reform of Japanese dairy farming policy in 50 years,” is to be enforced on April 1, 2018. Under the new compensatory subsidy system, so-called outsider dairy farmers, who have not shipped their fresh milk to designated organizations of dairy … Continue reading →

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) plans to start a new program of holding a practical workshop this autumn for the purpose of developing human resources of host farmers for promoting “Noh-Haku” or “farm stay tours” at rural areas in Japan. Farmers and other rural residents with interests in beginning a “farm stay tour business” at their respective houses will be invited to participate in the workshop. The participants in the MAFF special workshop are required to stay at a “developed area” of the farm stay tourism about one month, which has been successful in attracting a number of tourists to its rural community. A dozen of participants … Continue reading →