【News】 Farmer of Joso struggles to recover from floods (Sept. 17, 2015)

Posted on 2015-09-17 by The Japan Agricultural News

Daishi Harajiri A farmer of Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, severely hit by the heavy rain and floods which occurred a week ago, is at a loss of how to recover his business. His rice paddies, farming equipment and harvested rice had all been submerged in muddy water, making it impossible to deliver the produce to customers. Isamu Wada, 64, grows rice on a 60-hectare land in the city’s Ono district, out of which 55 is rented. 35 hectares were yet to be harvested when the banks of the Kinugawa River collapsed on Thursday, Sept. 10. Muddy streams flew into the district located east of the river, damaging all the rice paddies. … Continue reading →

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【News】 Rice gaining popularity as return gifts for baby birth celebration (Sept. 16, 2015)

Posted on 2015-09-16 by The Japan Agricultural News

Joe Ichiki and Shigeko Suzuki Increasing number of new parents are sending rice as return gifts to those who celebrated their baby’s birth. Rice dealers are adopting new ideas, such as offering a rice package weighing the same as a newborn baby with the baby’s photo and name printed. The dealers are selling the products mainly online to seek new demand amid decline in rice consumption. Suzunobu, a rice dealer of Tokyo’s Meguro Ward, sells a package of rice whose weight can be adjusted by grams to match the weight of a newborn baby. The shop used to receive an order for the product only once every three months, but … Continue reading →

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【News】 Rice gel with flexible texture possessing potential for wide application (Sept. 13, 2015)

Posted on 2015-09-13 by The Japan Agricultural News

Kazuhiro Eguchi New rice-derived foodstuff is drawing attentions as a new ingredient with a potential for a wide variety of applications. The new ingredient is made from rice of high amylose content and called “rice gel” from how it has a jelly-like consistency. You cook the rice and chop it up using a special high-speed mixer. The thickness of the texture is controllable from soft jelly to gumlike by changing the amount of water to cook rice and the mixing speed. The rice gel was developed by National Food Research Institute (NFRI), which is one of the research institutions within the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), in cooperation … Continue reading →

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【News】 Floods bring severe damage to houses and rice fields in Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures (Sept. 11, 2015)

Posted on 2015-09-11 by The Japan Agricultural News

Houses and farmlands in Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures were flooded Thursday, Sept. 10, as Typhoon Etau which turned into a tropical cyclone brought about torrential rain in the Kansai and Tohoku regions. In Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, banks of the Kinugawa River collapsed and a large area in the eastern side of the river was swallowed up by the muddy stream. A number of houses were swept away and greenhouses and rice plants which were almost ready to be harvested were submerged under water. “The river was flooded and water came closer and closer,” said Yukihiko Yamaki, 52, totally aghast by the heavy rain that he has never experienced before. He … Continue reading →

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【News】 Farmers protest against security bills and government’s indifference to people’s concerns (Sept. 10, 2015)

Posted on 2015-09-10 by The Japan Agricultural News

Hiroko Obara Many farmers have been protesting against the security bills which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration aims for approval at the current Diet session. Farmers on pickup trucks rallied in Nagano Prefecture, while a farmer of Aichi Prefecture collected signatures opposing the bills. They are increasingly worried as the bills are expected to be passed in the Diet next week. On Saturday, Sept. 5, farmers driving 33 pickup trucks paraded down the streets in the town of Ikeda, Nagano, with placards holding slogans like “Stop the war bills”. “Pickup trucks are the most appropriate vehicle for farmers to rally. We wanted to hold a demonstration which can only be … Continue reading →

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