JA Wakayama pushes Japanese kaki exports to United States

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 … Continue reading

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ZEN-NOH Aomori pushes Japanese apple exports to Vietnam

AOMORI, Nov. 29 — Japanese apple growers in the northern region hope to export more apples to Vietnam at a time when the domestic market has been shrinking. The ZEN-NOH Aomori group, which is responsible for the sale of agriculture products in Aomori prefecture, resumed exporting its apples to Vietnam in 2015 when the Southeast Asian country lifted a 5-year ban on apple imports from Japan. But the export volume was disappointing at 119 tons in 2016, as strong rains and winds destroyed crops in the Aomori region. The group aims to triple the exports to Vietnam to 350 metric tons this year, with their variety of “Fuji” “Kinsei” “Jonagold” … Continue reading

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Japan sets up group to get young people excited about farming

TOKYO, Dec. 18 — The agriculture ministry has set up a working group to discuss how to make farming an appealing career choice for the young generation amid the sector’s widespread labor shortage in Japan. The move coincides with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe launching “work-style” reforms as part of his high-profile administration’s agenda. The job offers to applicant ratio in the agricultural sector was 1.63 in 2016. That was higher than the average of all industrial sectors at 1.39, pointing to a labor shortage in the agricultural sector. As Japan’s population of older people is growing at an unprecedented rate, the farming industry is facing a severe shortage of young … Continue reading

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Japan’s pork imports to break record in 2017 after PED impact

TOKYO, Dec. 10 — Japan’s pork imports will likely break the record this year, as domestic pork production is slowly recovering following the 2014 outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), data from the finance ministry has shown. PED is a viral disease that has a high fatality rate for infected piglets. “The PED outbreak has caused a decrease in the number of birth rate per sow,” the Japan Pork Producers Association (JPPA) said. Japanese pork imports rose 7% to 763,593 metric tons in the 10 months that ended October 31, 2017, compared to the same period the previous year. The volume surpassed the pace for the record breaking 2005 period. … Continue reading

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Japan’s farm minister urges change in attitude from JA group

TOKYO, Dec. 17 — Japan’s Agriculture Minister Ken Saito has called for a change in attitude from the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA), the nation’s largest farmers’ group, in order to implement agricultural reforms. “I have been in touch with JA officials over the years,” Saito said at a Dec. 15 event organized by the Japan Agriculture Journalists’ Association in Tokyo. “My impression is that they are simply lacking a sense of crisis. “They must change. They have to be conscious of what they are doing. The ministry, the ruling party and the farmers’ group… we all need to work together to move ahead,” he said. Saito, a former official from … Continue reading

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