【News】 ZEN-NOH successfully completes price-cut negotiations with fertilizer manufacturers for coming spring season (Oct. 29, 2016)

On October 28, ZEN-NOH (National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Association) or a national business organization of agricultural cooperatives (JAs) revealed a price list of spring-season major fertilizers to be supplied to JA member farmers through its organizational network during November to next May. The price of high-performance compound fertilizer (generally compounded), which is recognized as an indicator price, is lowered by as much as 10.1 percent over that in the current autumn season of fertilizers. ZEN-NOH could successfully cut the supply price of the compound fertilizer by more than 10 percent in two consecutive seasons thanks to lowered prices of fertilizer materials in the international market and the stronger yen … Continue reading

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【News】 Gentians’ use for happy occasions expanding (Sep. 26, 2016)

In Japan, gentians have been standard flowers for Buddha and ancestors. But they are recently coming into use for other specific moments as well including happy occasions such as medal ceremonies, weddings and baby gifts. Marketers have been successful in discovering the new usages of gentians by focusing on their colors and thick stems and this is also encouraging gentian growers to increase their production. ■Bouquets for winning athletes In early September when people were still talking about great performances of athletes competed in Rio, winners of Inter College Swimming Championship 2016 including some Olympians such as Kosuke Hagino and Daiya Seto were given victory bouquets of fresh gentians when … Continue reading

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【News】 Tokyo metropolitan consumers support earthquake-stricken farmers in Tottori prefecture by purchasing shaken-off pears (Oct. 28, 2016)

Tottori Prefectural Government opened a special market of pears in Tokyo on October 28, which were shaken off from trees by a powerful earthquake striking the central part of the Tottori prefecture on October 21. Although most of the pears are partly damaged in their skins, they have been well matured. Many consumers of the Metropolitan areas gathered in the market to purchase them for a purpose of supporting pear producers hardly hit by the earthquake. Marketing of pears is organized at a special counter in a pilot store of the Prefectural Government called “Tottori-Oakayama Shinbashi-Kan” located in Minato ward, Tokyo, which is jointly operated with a neighboring prefecture of … Continue reading

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【News】 JA ZEN-NOH Hyogo opens “Kobe beef” restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo (Oct. 25, 2016)

JA ZEN-NOH Hyogo, a Hyogo prefectural headquarters of ZEN-NOH (National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Association) or a national business organization of agricultural cooperatives (JAs) opens a directly-managed restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo on October 27. The restaurant serves “Kobe beef” and other dishes prepared with premium ingredients produced in Hyogo prefecture to increase lovers of its Kobe beef and other local foods among consumers in the Tokyo metropolitan area. A pre-opening party was held on October 24, inviting both of JA-ZENCHU’s president Choe Okuno and ZEN-NOH’s president Yoshimi Nakano. Okuno celebrated the opening by saying “This restaurant, I hope, will become a base for further broadening the appeal of Japanese beef … Continue reading

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【News】 Local public hearings on Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact demand more cautious deliberations by Diet members (Oct. 27, 2016)

The special committee of the House of Representatives held two local public hearings at Sapporo city in Hokkaido prefecture and Takachiho town in Miyazaki prefecture on October 26 to ask local farmers and other stakeholders for their opinions regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pact and its related bills. The farmers and experts testified at the hearings to raise their concern one after another mostly by saying “People’s understanding on TPP issues has not yet been facilitated.” And most of them commonly urged the policy makers should fully deepen their deliberation on the issues at the Diet. At the hearing held in Sapporo city, Tadaaki Yamai, secretary general of … Continue reading

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