Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

Agriculture ministry kicks off new measure to support fostering of export-focused production areas

TOKYO, Feb. 14 — The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has come up with a new measure to nurture production areas focused on exports. The ministry will provide assistance to prefectures building infrastructure to promote exports, including cultivating demand and coping with regulations in importing countries. The ministry allocated 550 million yen in the fiscal 2022 second extra budget to support around 10 prefectures to develop a model project to produce and sell products overseas in large quantity. Under the Global Farmers / Fishermen / Foresters / Food Manufacturers Project (GFP) on nurturing flagship export-oriented production areas, the ministry will offer up to 50 million yen each in subsidies … Continue reading

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Turkey earthquake: Turkish farmers in Japan praying for safety of people back home

HOKKAIDO, OKAYAMA, Feb. 9 – According to some local reports, the death toll in Turkey and northern Syria is nearing 10,000 after the earthquake struck the southern part of Turkey. Thousands of people are still trapped under collapsed buildings, while the 72-hour time limit for saving lives (10:17 a.m. on February 9 in Japan time) is approaching. There are Turks living in Japan and involved in farming, and they are saddened by the tragedy that hit the fellow citizens, saying, “It’s hard not to be able to do anything” for their families and friends who live 85,000 kilometers away. -Mellal Seto (fruit farmer in Sapporo City, Hokkaido): I want to … Continue reading

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Fruits dominate rankings of farm produce showing year-on-year rise in exports in 2022

TOKYO, Feb. 9 — Persimmons topped the list of agricultural items whose exports posted year-on-year increase in terms of value in 2022, and fruits occupied more than half of the top 10 products, according to rankings compiled by the Japan Agricultural News based on agriculture ministry statistics on farm produce exports. Eggs and rice were also ranked high on the list. Exports of items which succeeded in meeting the needs of importing countries with their good taste and high quality unique to Japanese produce have risen in particular. The Japan Agricultural News listed major agricultural products which recorded exports of 100 million yen or more in 2022 and ranked them … Continue reading

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Yudeboshi-Daikon (boiled and dried radish) gets more flavor in cold wind (Saikai City, Nagasaki Prefecture)

NAGASAKI, Feb. 6 – Omotate Region, Saikai City, Nagasaki Prefecture, is now busy making yudeboshi-daikon (dried radish stripes), an amazing traditional food. Local farmers are drying boiled daikon radish strips on the structure built on the coastline facing the Goto-nada Sea, utilizing northwestern sea wind, which is necessary to deepen the flavor of the product. Steam rises from the boiled radishes, and that is one of the most typical sights on a cold winter’s day here. Yudeboshi daikon is a non-perishable food. The farmers cut daikon radishes into stripes, boil and dry them in the cold air for one whole day and night. They use Daiei Okura daikon, which is … Continue reading

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Japan’s agricultural exports rise 11% in 2022 excluding processed items

TOKYO, Feb. 4 — The value of Japan’s exports of primary agricultural products in 2022 rose 11 percent from the previous year to 381.8 billion yen. The figure was calculated by subtracting the value of exports of processed food items from the total amount, based on the data released by the agriculture ministry on Feb. 3. Amid the recovery of demand for eating out as well as the steady household and gift demands, orders for Japan-made produce increased due to their comparatively low prices thanks to the weak yen. Japan is facing the challenge of maintaining the popularity of its farm products, as consumption is expected to slow down in … Continue reading

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