TOKYO, Jan. 21 ― Japanese Agriculture Minister Takamori Yoshikawa has discussed with the EU’s Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan and Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis over regulatory barriers for Japanese farm exports to the EU. “They told me that they are working on processes that enable Japanese meat, dairy products and eggs to enter the EU market,” Yoshikawa told reporters after the meeting in Berlin on Jan.19. The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is set to come into effect on Feb. 1. The trade deal is dubbed “cars for cheese” because of business opportunities for Japanese carmakers and EU farmers, means EU duties on Japanese vehicles and parts … Continue reading →

TSUKUBA, Jan. 17 ― A group of Japanese researchers has developed a new method that predicts global crop production three months before harvest, a step forward to ensure food security. The Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, a research arm of the Tsukuba-based National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), said the new method aims to help making informed purchasing decisions for staple crops, setting appropriate food reserve level. The announcement came at a time when climate extremes could reduce crop output and trigger food price spikes. Climate change without adaptation can potentially affect farm livelihood and all aspects of food security. For example, Japan heavily depends on imported crops for animal … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Jan. 16 ― The Japanese government’s new labor projection suggests that the workforce in the farm sector may shrink by more than half in 2040, if there were no growth in the country’s economy and no action to increase of working women and older workers. Low birth rates have left Japan with one of the world’s oldest and fastest ageing populations. A report released on Jan. 15 by the labor ministry’s commission on workforce said that the number of workers in the agriculture sector would drop from 2.2 million in 2017 to 1 million in 2040. The entire Japanese workforce would fall 22 percent to 52.5 million in 2040, … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Jan. 20 ― Japan’s food exports rose for the ninth consecutive month in November 2018, thanks to largely to appetite for wagyu beef and fruits in neighboring Asian countries, official data has showed. Total shipments of agriculture products, processed foods and seafood soared 9% to 85.2 billion yen in November from a year earlier, according to the agriculture ministry. The primary agricultural products, which constitute half of total agricultural exports, increased 12% to 52.2 billion yen. Among those products, wagyu beef jumped 39% to 2.7 billion yen, as Cambodia solidified its position as the largest destination for Japanese wagyu beef, with value doubling to 800 million yen. Wagyu beef … Continue reading →