Category Archives: Farm Policy

TPP-11 members to sign revised trade pact on March 8 in Chile

TOKYO, Jan. 24 — One year after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the remaining 11 members have ironed out differences and agreed to sign a revised pact on March 8 in Chile. Senior TPP-11 officials settled the remaining differences in the new TPP — the Comprehensive Progressive TPP (CPTPP) — at two-day talks in Tokyo that ended on Jan. 23. “We want to get the agreement to take effect as soon as possible,” Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters after the meeting. “I’m convinced Canada will sign up.” The CPTPP will come into force after ratification by six of the 11 … Continue reading

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Japan’s flower wholesaler to boost exports with new logistics

OSAKA, Jan. 13 — An Osaka-based wholesaler of cut flowers is to boost exports on the back of a new logistics “cold chain” that ensures quick and efficient transportation to preserve the freshness of high-quality Japanese flowers. Naniwa Flower Auction Co. invested 550 million yen with government support to build the special facility, named Hanako, at 2,335 square meters of space, next to Osaka’s cut flower wholesale market. Hanako is designed to control temperature throughout the logistics for the transport of cut flowers and the duration of delivery. It started operating on Jan. 12. The company exported 1.96 million of stems of flowers in 2017. The exports valued at 240 … Continue reading

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Japan ‘underestimates’ farm product impacts from trade deals

TOKYO, Jan. 17 — The Japanese government has expanded estimates of the impact on agricultural products from recently-sealed free trade agreements with the EU and with 10 Pacific Rim countries, from 176 billion yen to 179 billion yen. The estimates were corrected due to an error in the calculations of dairy products, the agriculture ministry said on Jan. 16, about a month after announcing the estimates. The agriculture ministry explained it had traced the error, while explaining the estimates at a series of meeting with local government officials. The Japan-EU trade deal is now likely to impact by between 39.7 billion and 68.6 billion yen, while the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) … Continue reading

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Japanese minister urges transformed farming in NY message

TOKYO, Jan. 6 — Japan’s Agriculture Minister Ken Saito has pledged to implement policies that will bring on-the-ground delivery of an agricultural transformation as his country faces a declining population. During the ministry’s New Year gathering on Jan. 5, Saito cited government’s estimates that the overall population decline in 2017 exceeded more than 400,000 for the first time since records began. “The pace of decline will accelerate and that means domestic food demand will shrink further,” Saito said. “The farming sector is at a crossroads: develop policies to bring transformation or be at the mercy of forces beyond our control.” Saito also noted that the government officials are lacking a … Continue reading

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JA-ZENCHU chairman reaffirms commitment to self-reform

TOKYO, Jan. 5 — Toru Nakaya, the chairman of Japan’s largest farmers’ group, has expressed determination to complete the group’s self-reform this year in New Year’s message. Nakaya, the head of the Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives, known as JA-ZENCHU, made a speech during the administrative body’s New Year gathering in Tokyo on Jan. 4. Nakaya said three crises afflict the JA group and they center around: rural communities; JA businesses; and cooperatives. Referring to an official deadline to complete the group’s reform in May 2019, Nakaya said: “We will step up efforts to complete our self-reform by the end of this year.” ZENCHU has been a prime target of … Continue reading

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