Category Archives: Cooperatives

In Kumamoto earthquake-hit areas, members of a volunteer team sent by a number of agricultural cooperatives (JAs) in the country as well as by JA’s national organizations have been playing an active role in making up for the workforce shortage at marketing facilities of farm products operated by JAs and their federation in Kumamoto prefecture. 71 staff members of JAs and JA’s organizations, arriving at Kumamoto prefecture during four days since May 1, set up the third group of JA volunteers. Members of the group, wearing a uniform vest, are now engaged in works of grading and packing melons and mini-tomatoes at the Second Horticultural Product Collection and Distribution Center … Continue reading →

Japan Hunters Association, Dainihon Ryouyukai, headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, plans to conduct a survey of the population of wild animals such as Japanese deer and wild boars with a Drone, a small unmanned aerial vehicle. A new system has been developed for counting a number of wild animals from the sky. More accurate researches on the wildlife population are expected to be useful for effective measures to capture crop-raiding wild animals. In a traditional survey of the wildlife population, a number of wild animals including Japanese deer is estimated by various ways such as a visual inspection of animal’s population and herds, finding of their dungs and footprints, and calculations … Continue reading →

A nursing care service facility of Kamimashiki Agricultural Cooperative (JA), called JA welfare center located at Yamato-cho in Kumamoto prefecture, has been continuously providing services for aged people living in JA’s area seven days a week since the powerful earthquake struck the Kumamoto prefecture on April 14. At the JA welfare center, water supply was temporarily suspended and some of its facilities were also damaged by the continuous aftershocks. Even under such conditions, its seven-day service provision of two meals deliveries to 250 aged people per day as well as home-visit care has not been suspended. Right after the earthquake hardly hit the area, Shioko Kita, general manager of the … Continue reading →

【News】 Norinchukin Bank launches “food & agriculture business” in mid-term plan from 2016 (March 17, 2016) The Norinchukin Bank revealed on March 16 its three-year business plan starting from the fiscal 2016. The Bank is a national-level financial organization of JA (agricultural cooperative) Bank Group, JF (fishery cooperative) Marine Bank Group and JForest (forest owners cooperative) Group. With a view to developing growth-oriented agriculture, the Bank formulated the three-year plan focusing its new business named “food & agriculture business,” providing integrated supports to both farmers and food-related companies. The bank of cooperatives, Norinchukin Bank, aims to play a key role of a bridge between farmers and corporations through financing, investment, … Continue reading →