TOKYO, Oct. 12 ― Japan’s food exports rose for the sixth consecutive month in August, thanks to largely to appetite for wagyu beef and fruits in neighboring Asian countries, official data has showed.
But the data also showed the export growth of some agricultural products such as rice and Japanese green tea slowed on sluggish demand. Growers need to tap into middle-class households, not only wealthy consumers, experts said.
Total shipments of agriculture products, processed foods and seafood soared 14% to 68.8 billion yen in August, which was 8.3 billion yen higher in the same month a year earlier, according to the agriculture ministry.
The primary agricultural products, which constitute half of total agricultural exports, increased 20% to 45.9 billion yen.
Among those products, shipment of table grapes rose 42 percent and that of Japanese pears doubled as the harvest season just kicked off. Wagyu beef also rose 36% to 1.8 billion yen.
In the eight months through August, exports of agricultural products rose 15% to 575.1 billion yen from the same period a year earlier, getting right on track to meet a target of 1 trillion yen in 2019.
Last year, the country’s agriculture exports totaled a record 807.1 billion yen.