Citrus supporters working hard to help a lemon farmer (in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, photo by the Onomichi Tourist Association)
HIROSHIMA, Apr. 8 – “Citrus Supporter” program led by the Onomichi Tourist Association in Hiroshima Prefecture has become a successfully model to help citrus farm operators on the islands of Setouchi Inland Sea. The citrus section of a local agricultural cooperative association in Hiroshima Prefecture, JA Hiroshima, also supports the program by gathering Cito-supo (a shorter name for Citrus Supporters) for farmers facing workforce shortages. The program has approximately 130 registered members, many from Hiroshima and some from other prefectures. The association intends to make it a new tourist attraction, bring more people, and revitalize the regional economy.
The scheme was launched in January 2022. Many citrus farmers on Setouchi islands are overwhelmingly busy harvesting from December through early May, so the association finds helpers from all over Japan. Onomichi City is one of the popular destinations for cyclists in spring and autumn, but the tourist demand drops significantly in winter.
So far, 11 citrus farm operators in Onomichi have used the program. They pay 7,000 yen per supporter per day to the association and offer three kilograms of fruits to each supporter through the association. Usually, two or more supporters come to the site and pick fruits under the instructions given by the association personnel accompanying the helper team. The work hour starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m., and there will be one hour break time.
Yoshinori Watanabe, 59, grows lemons and mandarin oranges on his farmland of about 3 hectares on Ikuchi Island. He utilized the program approximately 20 times during this season which started last December. He used to ask a local Silver Jinzai Center, an employment support network for older people, to find seasonal fruit pickers. However, securing enough workforce through the center recently has not been easy. “We must harvest as many fruits as possible when they are ready, and that’s vital. I will keep using the program as it’s reliable and effective in finding helpers,” said Watanabe.
The registered Cito-supo helpers are varied from college students to retired elders. So far, 220 in total have worked as Cito-supo, and over 90% of them are from Hiroshima Prefecture. Naomi Ishihara, a 40-year-old inventor of the program, is now a member of the association. “We want to start organizing fun tours and corporate training programs to help boost local tourism,” he said.