Category Archives: Food & Agriculture

A study group organized by Iwate University has launched a project to develop a new system for purifying a bovine leukemia infected zone by quarantining black-haired Wagyu (Japanese beef cattle) with a higher incidence risk at a special stock farm for the purpose of preventing a spread of infection among cattle herds in the zone. The project aims to feed cattle with a higher incidence risk at a quarantine farm, which can be a cause of the spread of infection, instead of selling the cattle in the market. If the cattle grow up without showing symptoms of bovine leukemia during a period of 27 months, they will be shipped to … Continue reading →

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) jointly plan to strengthen sales promotion activities of cooked rice packs for Chinese consumers. The sales promotion will be carried out by distributing the rice packs to Chinese tourists as well as using instant rice packs at cooking classes for Chinese consumers in order to increase public recognition of the commodity among Chinese people. With a view to continuously marketing cooked rice packs in China, cooking demonstrations and tastings are to be implemented at various places such as department stores, super markets and convenience stores in Chinese big cities. MAFF and JETRO wish to make … Continue reading →

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) resumed its rice import tenders for fiscal 2016 on December 16 under its Simultaneous Buy and Sell system (SBS), which were halted this October due to shady deals of imported rice with so-called “adjustment money” paid by trading firms to wholesalers in the country. At the state-controlled SBS auctions, sales prices of imported rice showed a downward trend. U.S. non-glutinous milled rice, medium grain, which occupied most of rice sold by biddings on December 16, was purchased by local wholesalers with the lowest price in the 150 yen range per kilogram, which is cheaper than that of domestically produced rice to be … Continue reading →

Fifteen organizations, including agricultural cooperatives’ national federations, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Japan Business Federation or KEIDANREN, concluded an agreement on closer cooperation in boosting exports of agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products for the first time at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo on December 20. The whole related industries plan to strengthen the ties of cooperation so as to promote sales of Japanese farm products and foods particularly in overseas markets. The fifteen organizations will have an inaugural meeting to launch a new institute for supporting the exports next March under MAFF’s auspices. The Japanese government has set forth a … Continue reading →