Fukushima farmers promote local produce for Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO, Jan. 24 ― As Japan gears up to welcome the world the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020, Fukushima’s farmers are pushing their locally grown produce to be served at the world’s biggest sport event.

The Fukushima prefectural government held a food event to promote its locally grown agricultural products, such as rice and wagyu beef, in Tokyo on Jan. 23, hoping to remove its stigma associated with the 2011 nuclear disaster that hit hard the region.

According to prefectural officials, about 300 people from food vendors, caterers and restaurants attended the event.

Fukushima has set a target of more than 51 percent of local produce to be certified under the international standards for production and process management, known as Global Good Agricultural Practices (Global GAP), a key step to boost sales of local produce.

It aims to place itself the country’s No.1 prefecture that obtains the largest number of the GAP certifications.

Prefectural officials said the Olympics Games is an opportunity for local farmers to build relationships with food vendors so that they can expand sales channels at home and abroad eventually.

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