TOKYO, Sept. 20 ― Heads of the East Asian Agricultural Organization Council (EAOC) have agreed to dismantle the group and integrate it to the Asian Farmers’ Group of Cooperation (AFGC), which represents agricultural organizations of more Asian countries. The EAOC, comprised of farmers from Japan, India, South Korea, Mongolia and Taiwan, held its last high-level meeting on Sept. 18-19 in Tokyo. The meeting was organized by the Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives (JA-ZENCHU). The JA-ZENCHU also provides the permanent secretariat of the AFGC, consisted of farmers’ group of 10 countries: Japan, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Such meeting gives an opportunity to share … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sept. 16 ― With Halloween looming, a Japanese farmers’ co-operative in Wakayama prefecture has held a promotional event in Tokyo to encourage visitors to eat local kaki. Halloween is marked on Oct. 31 every year, on the eve of the Christian feast of All Saints’ Day. Various Christian traditions developed around the holiday, such as lighting candles and offering prayers to the dead, which are still observed by many people today. And JA Wakayama has capitalized the Christian holiday since 2014, as its locally-grown kaki resembles a pumpkin’s shape and color. Kaki production in Wakayama in 2017 totaled 47,500 metric tons, accounting for about 20 percent of the country’s … Continue reading →