(From right) JA ZEN-NOH Senior Executive Vice President Yoshiki Saito, Gunma Governor Ichita Yamamoto and FamilyMart Executive Officer Nobuto Togashi at the Gunma Prefectural Government building in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture
TOKYO, Feb. 5 — In an effort to support konjac farmers hit by sluggish demand, JA ZEN-NOH, the marketing arm of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives group, and major convenience store chain FamilyMart Co. together developed new products using konjac grown in Gunma Prefecture.
Katsuo Konnyaku, simmered konjac mixed with dried bonito flakes, and Konnyaku Miso Dengaku, konjac with sweet miso sauce, will be put on sale for a limited period at FamilyMart stores nationwide excluding Okinawa Prefecture, starting on Feb. 18.
Konjac is produced mainly in Gunma. The prices of konjac plant corms, an ingredient to make konjac, have been on a declining trend due to slumping consumption and excess inventory of refined konjac powder.
JA ZEN-NOH Gunma’s sales price of fresh konjac corms produced in 2024 was 2,593 yen per 30 kilograms between October and December.
It is believed that the price setting needed to cover the entire production costs is more than 4,000 yen per 30 kg. “The more we produce, the more deficits we suffer,” said a grower in Numata, Gunma Prefecture.
The new products are the first of a series of projects by JA ZEN-NOH and FamilyMart aimed at giving farmers a boost.
“We came up with the idea because we wanted to help encourage (konjac) consumption as much as possible,” said a FamilyMart official. “We hope to continue actively providing items made using konjac from the prefecture.”
On Feb. 4, JA ZEN-NOH and FamilyMart executives visited Gunma Governor Ichita Yamamoto at the prefectural government building and reported on the development of new konjac products.
“We are very grateful for the efforts made and we also want to cooperate,” Yamamoto said. “We want everyone across the country to enjoy eating them.”