Category Archives: Food & Agriculture

Milk price hits 10-year low as retailers use the product as loss leader

TOKYO, March 26 – Retail prices of milk remain low, with the government statistics showing the price of a 1-liter milk carton posting a 10-year low of 208 yen in Tokyo in February. This is because supermarkets, eager to attract customers amid rising wholesale prices of food products, are making milk the loss leader, given its high frequency of purchase. In an effort to rectify such bargain sales, the farm ministry started working on compiling a guideline for milk sales by the end of this month. Tokyu Store, a supermarket chain in Tokyo’s Meguro Ward which operates 81 stores in the Kanto region, cut prices of two milk products at … Continue reading

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Tokyo Seika to set up export-specialized unit to bolster fruit and vegetable export to 5 bln yen in FY2021

TOKYO, March 25 – Japan’s largest vegetable and fruit wholesaler is bolstering apple, strawberry, peach, and sweet potato export in 2018. The Tokyo-based wholesaler market, Tokyo Seika Co., Ltd., takes advantage of its capacity to source agricultural products stably from agricultural cooperatives (JAs) of all over Japan to stimulate the demand for Japanese products overseas. The wholesaler is going to set up a new unit in April to focus on business talks with producers, middle traders and trading companies and the supply of information to producers. As of April 1, 2018, Tokyo Seika will carry out organizational reform and establish “Export Office,” a new unit specialized in the export of … Continue reading

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Japan’s agriculture exports rise in January, led by wagyu beef

TOKYO, March 10 — Japan’s agricultural exports jumped 35% year-on-year in January, led by sales of wagyu beef to major exporting markets and fruits as treats for the Chinese New Year holidays. The exports of products such as agri-food, meat and seafood totaled 62.4 billion yen in January, according to data from the agriculture ministry. Wagyu beef exports doubled to 1.5 billion yen due to rising demand in the U.S. as well as Taiwan lifting a 16-year import ban. Apples exports also rose 70% to 3.2 billion yen, as fruit production has recovered from bad weather. Rice exports grew 32% and pork exports surged 52% in the same month from … Continue reading

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A miller develops Japanese flour for Italian pizza margharita

TOKYO, March 8 — A Japanese milling company has developed domestically-produced wheat flour used to make pizza napoletana, commonly known outside Italy as a pizza margherita. Ebetsu flour milling Co. is now seeking certification for its new product from an Italian organization to be considered as flour for authentic pizza napoletana. “We want to contribute for expanding use of domestically produced wheat,” said Ebetsu President Toshiyuki Abiko. “Just knowing that we’re part of it makes us proud.” Japan is one of the largest wheat importing countries, and domestic production only accounts for about 10 percent of its total what supply. Pizza napoletana was given the protected status of a traditional … Continue reading

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Japan has 33 fatal accidents involving farm vehicles each year

TOKYO, Feb. 27 — A total of 164 farmers died in accidents that involved farm vehicles such as tractors on public roads between 2013 and 2017 in Japan, with elderly farmers most at risk group, according to a report by the police department. On average, around 33 fatal on-road accidents involved farm vehicles occur each year. Of those, 90 percent of fatalities were people aged over 60, and 80 percent of accident patterns were single-vehicle crashes, the report said. There was a sharp rise of accidents in April, May and September, as farm vehicles had to travel on rural roads during planting and harvest time, it added. Finding support for … Continue reading

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