TOKYO, June 28 — Japan is seeking to boost the country’s production of wheat and barley by encouraging more wheat and barley farmers to be involved in sales of new products at a new outlet in Tokyo.
The National Rice Wheat and Barley Improvement Association has opened a shop for testing sales of new products that use Japanese-grown wheat and barley.
The association names the Tokyo shop “Mugi kurabe”. It has a fully-equipped kitchen, a place to display locally-produced new products and seating areas to eat them.
The association will offer serving staff and transport costs for small businesses or growers to present their products in the Tokyo outlet.
Japanese food wheat consumption has been rising due to strong demand for bread and noodles, and about 90 percent of the food what Japan consumes is imported.
According to the association, Japan merely produces 900,000 tons of wheat, compared with the EU’s 156 million tons and China’s 126 million tons.
The government aims to increase the country’s wheat production to 950,000 tons and its barley to 220,000 tons by 2025.