【Series】 Agricultural policies – Interviews with political parties: Part 1 Ken Saito, director of the Liberal Democratic Party’s agriculture and forestry division (Jan. 28, 2014)

Posted on 2014-01-28 by The Japan Agricultural News

  2014 will be the year when a series of agricultural reform, including the establishment of a Japanese-style direct payment system and the revision of individual-household income compensation, will be implemented by the government t and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The government is also faced with various other issues, such as negotiations under the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks intensifying before spring, and debates starting on the creation of a new basic plan for food, agriculture and rural areas. Along with the opening of the ordinary session of the Diet, The Japan Agricultural News interviewed seven political parties’ lawmakers in charge of agricultural issues, who are preparing to start policy … Continue reading →

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【News】 Agriculture ministry warns of deadly pig virus outbreak (Jan. 25, 2014)

Posted on 2014-01-25 by The Japan Agricultural News

  The porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus is spreading in Japan, with infections confirmed in 110 farms in four prefectures such as Kagoshima and Miyazaki, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Since the disease spreads via contact with manure, the ministry’s animal health division said it is necessary to investigate channels of infection and strengthen disease prevention. The ministry warns the spread of the epidemic means there is a possible flaw in infection control measures, which would allow other diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease to spread. The PED infection was found in Japan for the first time in seven years last October in Okinawa Prefecture, and continued … Continue reading →

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【News】 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stresses drastic agricultural reform at Diet opener (Jan. 25, 2014)

Posted on 2014-01-25 by The Japan Agricultural News

  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opened the 150-day ordinary Diet session on Friday, Jan. 24, with a policy speech which reaffirmed his vow to create a “virtuous cycle” of economic recovery and spread it throughout the nation including rural areas. Speaking to the lawmakers at the plenary session of both the Upper and Lower houses, Abe also stressed his determination to conduct drastic agricultural reform, including the establishment of farmland consolidation banks, revision of the government’s control on rice production and introduction of a Japanese-style direct payment system. He stated the need to focus on implementing the growth strategy including deregulation, as well as fiscal reconstruction and social welfare reform. … Continue reading →

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【News】 Fresh milk production for 2014 likely to mark 1.5 percent year-on-year drop (Jan. 24, 2014)

Posted on 2014-01-24 by The Japan Agricultural News

Fresh milk production for fiscal 2014 is predicted to drop 1.5 percent from the previous year to 7.354 million tons, the Japan Dairy Association (J-Milk) announced Thursday, Jan. 23. According to the association’s supply-demand forecasts, demand for domestically-produced milk is expected to stay flat, which means there would be a supply shortage. The association is seriously concerned that demand could slow down due to unstable availability, and stressed the need to work on increasing production. The estimated drop in production reflects the decrease in the number of milk cows. The association says the production might increase by 0.5 to 1 percentage point from the original forecast, supported by government’s supply-boosting … Continue reading →

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【News】 Fruit tree science institute releases new apple variety with pink flesh (Jan. 22, 2014)

Posted on 2014-01-22 by The Japan Agricultural News

  National Agriculture and Food Research Organization’s Institute of Fruit Tree Science in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, announced on Tuesday, January 21 that it has developed a new mid-season pink-fleshed apple variety Rose Pearl. The yellow-skinned apple has a moderately acidic flavor and crispy texture. It is suitable both for eating fresh and processing, and the institute says the new variety can be used in various innovative recipes by making use of its pink flesh color, hopefully leading to an increase in apple consumption. Most apple varieties on the market have white or yellowish-white flesh, and there are little varieties with red flesh. Red-fleshed apples are recently attracting attention for use … Continue reading →

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