Monthly Archives: August 2015

【News】 Farm Ministry to request 2.65 trillion yen in 2016 budget, up 15 percent (Aug. 22, 2015)

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will seek JPY2.65 trillion in its budget request for fiscal 2016, up 15 percent from its initial budget for the previous year, according to informed sources. The ministry plans to ask for a JPY100 billion increase for projects to improve infrastructure for agriculture and rural villages, which is suffering from serious lack of funds. It will request a major expansion in funds to support rice farmers shifting to other crops such as rice for animal feed. By strengthening farm infrastructure and promoting full use of rice paddies, the ministry aims to push toward the goal of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration — developing … Continue reading

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【News】 More agricultural co-ops having a hand in developing local governments’ revitalization strategies (Aug. 20, 2015)

  Local farm co-ops are working to make their ideas reflected in local governments’ comprehensive regional revitalization strategies by participating in sessions held by their strategic planning committees. Such activities are likely to expand in the future, as agricultural co-ops plan to call for a bigger role in reviving regional areas in their annual national conference in October. The central government has asked prefectures and municipalities to create their own revitalization strategies before the current fiscal year ends in March. To encourage them to develop the strategies swiftly, the government said it would offer additional grants to those which release the plans by the end of October. The draft document … Continue reading

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【News】 Egret flowers spreading white wings (Aug. 20, 2015)

Kotaro Yamada In Isezaki-shi, Gunma Prefecture, 8,500 stocks of egret flowers are now in full bloom at “Egret Flower Show.” The show is held by a 71-year-old amateur plant grower, Hiroyuki Ishihara, to offer the public the chance to have a close look at the pearly white blossoms that resemble egret birds in flights. Egret flowers are one type of terrestrial orchids found in wetlands. It actually is one of the near threatened species listed in the Red List of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan. In Gunma Prefecture, it has already become extinct, according to the local government. In Ishihara’s greenhouse, tens of thousands of egret flowers are … Continue reading

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【News】 Japan’s food self-sufficiency rate marks 39 percent for five years in a row (Aug. 8, 2015)

Japan’s food self-sufficiency rate in fiscal 2014, which ended in March, was 39 percent on a calorific intake basis for the fifth consecutive year, the farm ministry announced Friday, Aug. 7. On a production value basis, the rate marked a record low of 64 percent, down 1 percentage point from the previous year, reflecting a decline in rice prices. In March, the government set its calorie-based food self-sufficiency target for fiscal 2025 at 45 percent in the revised basic plan for food, agriculture and rural areas. The target for the production value-based sufficiency rate was set at 73 percent. The latest data shows the government is facing a tough road … Continue reading

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【News】 TPP ministerial meeting unlikely to be held by end of August (Aug. 7, 2015)

  Trade ministers involved in the 12-member Trans-Pacific Partnership initiative are unlikely to meet again in the end of this month, as it would be difficult to solve conflicting points among the members, Akira Amari, minister in charge of the talks, indicated on Thursday, Aug. 6. “It would be safer to schedule a ministerial meeting following the negotiations to deal with remaining issues,” Amari told reporters after meeting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to report on the prospects of the negotiations. He made the remarks apparently because of differences which are yet to be ironed out among member nations regarding such issues as market access to dairy goods, patent protections for … Continue reading

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