Berlin, Jan. 20 – The Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference was held on January 18, 2020, in Berlin, Germany. Agricultural ministers representing nations and regions around the world adopted a communique that calls for actions to promote trade, strengthen agricultural production system, and support small-scale farmers to ensure global food security. The global leaders also confirmed to proactively introduce information-communication technology (ICT) and innovations in the agricultural sector and share information for controlling animal diseases such as African swine fever (ASF). The annual agricultural summit meetings have been held in Germany since 2009. Agricultural ministers and high government officials from 71 nations and regions, including Taku Eto from Japan, and representatives … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Jan. 20 – The Japanese government is boosting the support for the export of Japanese sake, wine, and alcoholic beverages starting in fiscal 2020. The budget for the assistance will be lifted largely to accelerate the creation of new sales channels overseas, such as restaurants and retailers, through established local distributors, for example. The National Tax Agency of Japan will set up an export promotion office in July. The new office will have 18 dedicated officers who will handle negotiations with other countries for removing rules and limits on alcoholic products from Japan and establishing a system that can make the exports easier. The total value of sake exports … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Jan. 8 – The farm ministry of Japan launched a new YouTube channel called Buzz Maff on January 7, 2020. The contents of Buzz Maff are created by ministry officials, who voluntarily gathered to plan, design, and create one streaming video a day for the online video sharing website. Its stories feature agricultural products and life in farming towns and villages. Its targets are not limited to young Japanese, and it aims to create a buzz among viewers including foreign nationals living in Japan. There are 14 teams of in-house creators, and some stories are already available on YouTube. “An ordinary sweet potato may look different after you’ve seen … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Dec. 21 – Japan’s cabinet has approved a draft budget for fiscal 2020 on December 20, 2019. The general account budget for the next fiscal year starting in April topped 100 trillion for the second straight year and hit a record high of 102.66 trillion yen. Social security costs swelled due to the rise in medical expenses, while the medical cost is growing because of the aging population and the introduction of free preschool education program after the consumption tax hike. The budget also includes agricultural spending of 2.31 trillion yen, which is up 10 billion yen compared to fiscal 2019. It exceeded previous year’s expenditure for the second … Continue reading →