Category Archives: Food & Agriculture

【News】 Agriculture ministry to financially support farmers hit by heavy snow (March 1, 2014)

  The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will offer subsidies to farmers whose greenhouses were destroyed from the weight of snow, if they are to continue farming, a senior ministry official revealed Friday, Feb. 28. The ministry offers subsidies to those who restore their greenhouses, but it has decided to extend the subsidies to farmers who plan to continue farming in other forms, said vice agriculture minister Yasuhiro Ozato at a joint meeting of the Liberal Democratic Party’s agriculture and forestry division and research commission on agriculture, forestry and fisheries strategy. Earlier this week, the ministry compiled a set of assistance measures to farmers who suffered damage from the … Continue reading

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【News】 Norinchukin Bank to support agricultural corporations (March 1, 2014)

  The Norinchukin Bank announced Friday, Feb. 28, that it has signed a partnership agreement with Japan Agricultural Corporations Association to create a business support project team in the association with the bank official as a team leader. The team will offer management consultation services for agricultural corporations, including loans and developing sales channels, in order to support such corporations and help them strengthen ties with the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives group, which the bank is a member. As the government is introducing the more competition-based agricultural policy in fiscal 2014, focusing on farmland consolidation and abolishment of rice production adjustment, the bank hopes to provide agricultural corporations with knowhow on … Continue reading

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【News】 Agricultural cooperative officials in Aichi help restore greenhouses destroyed by snow (Feb. 26, 2014)

Officials of Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) Aichi Higashi are helping farmers restore greenhouses damaged by the heavy snow which hit the mountainous Okumikawa region in Aichi Prefecture in mid-February. According to JA Aichi Higashi, more than 50 greenhouses were destroyed in such municipalities as Shitara and Toyone in the region. JA, the municipal governments and the prefectural government are expected to hold a meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 26, to discuss measures to cope with the situation. Snow is cleared away from most of the main streets in Toyone, where 80 percent of the 549 households suffered power failure due to heavy snowfall, but residents are busy removing snow from small … Continue reading

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【Feature】Fighting world hunger – rice breeding (Feb. 19, 2014)

  Yuu Kawasaki Between the 1940s and 1960s, the Asian and African countries succeeded in largely increasing grain yields through introduction of new varieties and improving cultivation methods, thanks to the so-called Green Revolution, a series of research and technology transfer initiatives to save people from starvation. The International Rice Research Institute based in Los Banos, located 65km southeast of the Philippines’ capital city of Manila, is one of the major contributors to this movement. The institute is an agricultural research and training organization and a member of the CGIAR consortium, a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research to fight poverty and hunger. Along with other rice varieties, … Continue reading

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【News】 First case of deadly pig virus confirmed in Chubu region (Feb. 18, 2014)

  The Aichi Prefectural Government announced Monday, Feb. 17, that a suspected case of porcine epidemic diarrhea at a farm in Yatomi, Aichi, was officially confirmed as the first case of PED in the Chubu region. There are no other suspected cases reported in the prefecture, according to the prefectural government. The case in Yatomi was first discovered in Monday, Feb. 10, and the prefectural government’s genetic testing conducted on Wednesday, Feb. 12, showed a positive reaction. Fattening hogs at the farm are showing recovery, but 10 suckling piglets were reported dead. The farm is continuing to take disease control measures including disinfecting. PED has very high mortality in piglets … Continue reading

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