Category Archives: Farm Policy

TOKYO, Feb. 13 ― A Japanese farmers’ group has organized a food fair that aims to promote products that use domestically produced wheat and barley at a permanent exhibition center in Tokyo. The National Rice Wheat and Barley Improvement Association offers the space, where food makers can showcase their latest products that use Japanese-grown wheat and barley to visitors from Feb. 12 till 19. The Tokyo outlet, called Mugi kurabe, has a fully-equipped kitchen and a place to display locally-produced new products and seating areas to eat them. The association also offers serving staff and transport costs for small businesses or growers to present their products. Japanese wheat consumption has … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Feb. 23 ― The EU will open doors to Japanese eggs and egg products, such as mayonnaise and cakes, the Japanese agriculture ministry has said. Some egg products, which was on the exemption list by the European Commission in January, can enter into the EU market as early as Feb. 24. But products whose egg and dairy products content amounts to 50 percent and above will have to meet the EU’s restrict standards, including the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and animal welfare. The announcement came within a month when the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) came into effect on Feb. 01. The trade deal is dubbed … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Feb. 9 ― Japan’s food exports rose for the sixth consecutive year of growth, breaking the 900 billion yen barrier for the first time in its history, preliminary data has showed. Total shipments of agriculture products, processed foods and seafood rose 12% to 906.8 billion yen in 2018 from a year earlier, thanks to largely to appetite for wagyu beef and fruits in neighboring Asian countries, the agriculture ministry said. The data suggests that a target of 1 trillion yen of farm exports in 2019 is achievable, if an annual growth rate grows 10.3% this year. The primary agricultural products, which constitute half of total agricultural exports, increased 14% … Continue reading →

TOKYO, March. 17 ― Japan’s agriculture ministry has held a conference, which brought together 150 farmers and food makers across the country to discuss how to find markets to export their products. The conference, which was taken place on March 16 in Tokyo, was broadcasted live on Niconico Live to about 150 online viewers, according to the ministry. The move was part of the Global Farmers Project (GFP), the agriculture ministry’s initiatives to help farmers to become entrepreneurs seeking export business opportunity, as the government aims to boost farm exports as well as farmers’ incomes. The GFP was launched in August 2018 and has now 1,011 registered members. The main … Continue reading →