Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

Japan starts exporting Unshu oranges to Vietnam

TOKYO, Nov. 24 – Following Vietnam’s lifting of an import ban on Japan-grown Unshu Mandarin oranges in October, growers in Wakayama Prefecture will become the first to ship the oranges to the country in late November. JA Arida, an agricultural cooperative in Wakayama, Japan’s top growing region of Unshu oranges, plans to ship some 2 tons of early-season varieties to Vietnam in the current fiscal year. Growers hope their oranges – with a unique sweet-sour flavor which differentiates them from oranges from other countries – will appeal to rich consumers in Vietnam. Vietnam agreed to lift the import ban under the condition that the oranges are cultivated at registered farmlands … Continue reading

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International conference on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems calls for harmony with environment

ISHIKAWA, Nov. 27 – Participants of the International Conference on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), held in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, adopted a communique on Nov. 26, calling for continuing sustainable use of natural resources, ecosystems and harmony with environment cultivated in GIAHS sites. The GIAHS is a project established by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with the purpose of maintaining the land use that protects biodiversity, traditional agriculture and farming methods that make full use of the environment, rural culture and landscapes. There are currently 62 systems in 22 countries that have been designated as GIAHS. Officials of the FAO, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and … Continue reading

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The United States lifts import ban on Japan-grown melons

TOKYO, Nov. 11 – The United States has lifted an import ban on Japan-grown fresh melon fruit, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced on Nov. 10. Melons can be shipped to the U.S. after meeting certain requirements, including obtaining a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Plant Protection Station stating they are free of cucumber green mottle mosaic virus that causes crop diseases. The ministry estimates that Japan will make shipments worth about 3 million yen to the U.S. in a year following the lifting of the ban. The U.S. government had been prohibiting imports of fresh melon fruit from Japan to prevent pest intrusion. As there had been … Continue reading

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40 percent of leaf tobacco farmers in Japan to halt production in 2022

TOKYO, Nov. 14 – Roughly 40 percent of leaf tobacco farms in Japan, 1,729 farms, are likely to stop production in 2022, in response to Japan Tobacco Inc.’s proposal to reduce the total tobacco cultivation area. The area where tobacco cultivation will be terminated is expected to reach 1,822 hectares, more than 30 percent of total domestic cultivation. Japan Tobacco has made the proposal for the first time in a decade amid shrinking tobacco demand due to such factors as stricter smoking regulations. Tobacco growers are also struggling with heavy workloads and difficulty to secure successors. After the firm started accepting applications from tobacco farmers nationwide to halt production along … Continue reading

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Farmers band fest on Twitter winning over 80,000 views

Tokyo, Nov. 9 – Farmers from all over Japan held an online music fest on Twitter, and gathered more than 80,000 views in the first nine days. The farmers posted 29 videos of band performances simultaneously at 10:00 a.m. on October 31, 2021, on the social networking service (SNS). All these movies were filmed in rice paddy fields, farms, and workshops and posted with a hashtag (#農家バンドフェス) for easier searches. Two young farmers from Mie and Fukuoka Prefectures organized the fest to make the country brighter and more colorful, as many events are being canceled or postponed due to the pandemic. Initially, 15 bands raised their hands to participate, but … Continue reading

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