Choe Okuno, president of JA-ZENCHU, a representative body of Japanese agricultural cooperative (JA) organizations, said the JA group will make every effort to successfully carry out its self-reform scheme at a joint meeting of governmental top officials and representatives of private sectors, which was held on March 4 at the Prime Minister’s Office, in Nagata-cho, Tokyo.
Implementation of measures to increase farm incomes of producers, such as profitable marketing of agricultural products and price reductions of farm inputs, will be a key point of the self-reform scheme, Choe Okuno stressed.
He also told participants in the meeting that JA-ZENCHU plans to further promote collaboration with KEIDANREN (Japan Business Federation), an apex body organized by major companies and industrial associations, for the purpose of reinforcing the Japanese agriculture into a growth-oriented industry.
The JA Group, headed by JA-ZENCHU, and KEIDANREN are now making preparation to set up a “collaboration platform,” on which the two organizations will take practical measures to bridge farms and businesses by promoting farmers’ applications of technologies and know-hows developed by companies so as to make their farming more profitable.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe highly appreciated the collaboration plan initiated by JA-ZENCHU and KEIDANREN and expected that their efforts will be much fruitful during years to come.
(March 5, 2016)