Category Archives: Cooperatives

【Series】 Japanese food worth sharing with world – O-han yellow rice and topping from Usuki-shi, Oita Prefecture (Nov. 27, 2015)

Celebratory dish that dates back to Edo period Yellow steamed rice colored with dried gardenia fruits is served with colorful flavorful topping in a separate bowl. The rice is called “o-han (yellow rice)” and the topping “o-han kayaku (additional goodies to go with o-han). This is a traditional food in Usuki-shi, Oita Prefecture. Unlike regular steamed rice, o-han is cooked with salt and its cheerful yellow color stimulates our appetite. O-han kayaku cooked with several root vegetables like carrot and Japanese radish as well as minced fish meat and tofu is rich and delicious. It’s no wonder that it still is a popular traditional local food prepared to welcome guests. … Continue reading

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【News】 Japanese agricultural co-op officials visit quake-hit Nepal (Nov. 26, 2015)

A delegation of the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu), headed by JA-Zenchu Vice President Toshiyuki Morinaga, visited on Tuesday, Nov. 24, a village in Nepal severely hit by a massive earthquake in spring. They met farmers and local farm co-op staff working to restore the area. They also visited the Nepal Agricultural Co-operative Central Federation Ltd. (NACCFL), the national federation of farm co-ops, to offer donations of JPY15 million. The delegation visited an agricultural co-operative for small-scale farmers based in Jeevanpur in Dhading district, 25 km west of the capital city of Kathmandu. Most of the village’s population of about 10,000 are engaged in farming, according to JA-Zenchu. The … Continue reading

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【News】 International Co-operative Alliance to hold a worldwide campaign on the International Day of Co-operatives in July (Nov. 17, 2015)

  Members of the International Co-operative Alliance agreed at a general assembly to hold a worldwide campaign on the International Day of Co-operatives set on the first Saturday of July. At the meeting held with some 1,000 attendants on Friday, Nov. 13, in Antalya, Turkey, Monique Leroux, President and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group, the leading co-operative financial group in Canada, was elected as ICA’s new president, succeeding Pauline Green. According to the officials of the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu), various countries have been using the International Day of Co-operatives as an opportunity to increase public awareness of co-operatives and their activities, but no worldwide united efforts … Continue reading

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【News】 Japanese co-operatives present a PR video at a global conference of co-ops (Nov. 13, 2015)

  The Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu) presented a Japanese version of a video about the contribution of co-operatives at the Global Conference of the International Co-operative Alliance on Wednesday, Nov. 11, in Antalya, Turkey. Representing the Japan Joint Committee of Cooperatives made up of 15 national co-operative organizations in Japan, JA-Zenchu made the presentation at a panel discussion on ICA’s global marketing campaign aimed to raise public awareness of co-operative activities. Japan is one of the four pilot countries which have created a video for the “Cooperatives for a Better World” campaign based on ICA’s version released in summer. The Japanese video is designed to make viewers think … Continue reading

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【News】 Rice growers fear imported rice will take away share in the food service market – Chikusei, Ibaraki Prefecture (Nov. 7, 2015)

Satoshi Furusawa, a 58-year-old farmer who grows rice on some 30 hectares of paddies in Chikusei, Ibraki Prefecture, says he is increasingly concerned that under the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement, domestically-grown rice will be forced out from the market for restaurants and ready-made foods. In the area where JA Kitatsukuba, a farm co-op in Chikusei, serves, rice farmers have recently been expanding sales channels to food service companies. As for table rice they harvested in 2015, 70 percent of the total annual yield of some 17,800 tons are sold to such companies. Their major brand Koshihikari is known for good taste, and it is popular among restaurants and convenience stores … Continue reading

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