WAKAYAMA, Dec. 19 — A farmers’ group has shipped its kakis for the first time from Japan to the United States, as a potential market for the Japanese fruit.
JA Wakayama, an agriculture cooperative in Wakayama prefecture, plans to export nearly 900 kilograms of kakis this year. They will be mainly sold at Japanese supermarket chains in the U.S.
“Following market analysis, we have started seeking potential customers in the U.S.,” said a JA Wakayama official.
Another official said: “We have sets our minds on the U.S. market now. We will expand our exports to boost our farmers’ income.”
Japanese kaki will be sold as high as double the prices they fetch in Japan.
The Japanese government has set a target to boost the annual value of agricultural exports at 1 trillion yen by 2020.