【Interview】 Agricultural co-ops group head calls on members to cooperate to conduct reform (April 17, 2015)

President Akria Banzai of the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu), said in an interview with The Japan Agricultural News he “felt it was necessary to make some kind of a judgement as a leader which accepted an unprecedented transformation,” admitting that he decided to resign after he agreed to the government’s outline of agricultural co-ops reform. He asked his successor to conduct self-reform based on the unity of people, which is the origin of co-operatives. Q. Can you tell us again why you decided to resign? A. I started thinking about it around mid-February, after I accepted the outline of agricultural co-ops reform. I thought one stage came to … Continue reading

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【News】 Kochi University lab develops method to propagate predator “hunter flies” (April 15, 2015)

Laboratory of Insect Ecology at Kochi University’s Faculty of Agriculture in Nankoku, Kochi Prefecture, has developed, for the first time in the world, a method to propagate Coenosia attenuate, commonly called “hunter flies,” a natural enemy which catches flying insect pests. Adult hunter flies catch and eat such insects as whiteflies, leafminer flies and mushroom flies. The laboratory believes the predator can be a promising biocontrol agent at horticulture facilities and facilities that grow mushrooms on beds of compost. Hunter flies were first discovered in Japan in 2005 by a farmer in the village of Geisei in Kochi inside a greenhouse growing green peppers. Receiving a report that a fly … Continue reading

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【Editorial】 Rise in retail prices of milk indispensable to maintain domestic dairy industry (April 15, 2015)

  Retail prices of milk after April are a matter of great concern for the dairy industry. As the dairy farmers’ association and major dairy manufacturers agreed on raising the price of raw milk for beverage use by JPY3 per kilogram starting in April, they are wondering whether the retail prices will rise along with it. However, although the price of premium brand milk offered by major dairy manufacturers rose by roughly JPY10 per a one-liter bottle, prices of many other brands remained the same. If retail prices do not properly reflect the rise in raw milk prices, it could threaten dairy farmers to lower the raw milk price again. The dairy industry should work on setting the … Continue reading

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【News】 Declining hog farms and disease outbreak force half of regional piglet markets to close (April 14, 2015)

  Yuji Hosoda Regional markets which trade piglets for fattening are recently closing down one after another. Out of 12 such markets which existed in 2013, six were either closed or temporarily suspended by April, as hog farms are increasing their size while their number is dropping, and farmers are refraining from moving their piglets after the spread of the porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus. Farmers, who have been depending on the markets to trade piglets, are forced to find other ways to market them, and market dealers express concern over its impact on the prospects of the regional swine industry. The Japan Agricultural News found that piglet markets in … Continue reading

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【News】 Fire your imagination (April 12, 2015)

-Bonsai Art Museum (Saitama-shi, Saitama Prefecture)- Kotaro Yamada The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Saitama, is the world’s first and only publicly-run bonsai museum where visitors can enjoy looking at masterpieces of bonsai and learn how to appreciate its history. Located in Saitama-shi, Saitama Prefecture, which is known for having many local bonsai nurseries and experts since the Taisho Era, it’s expected to play an important role in promoting Japanese culture. “You’ll find it more interesting when you look it at from underneath as if you are a dwarf,” said Shinichiro Hayashi, a 35-year-old curator of the museum and his advice was very true with a 95 centimeter tall Chaenomeles sinensis … Continue reading

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