TOKYO, June 9 — For Japanese apple growers, the Canadian door finally opened. Canada has relaxed stringent requirements for imported apples, such as mandatory production methods and disinfection, as long as apple growers meet certain conditions, the Japanese agriculture ministry said on June 8. Technically, Japanese growers can ship apples to Canada, but have not done so since 1998 due to Ottawa’s phytosanitary restrictions. Japan exported apples last in 1997 at merely 4 metric tons. Since 2016, Japanese officials have been engaged in intense negotiations to get the requirements to be relaxed. Currently, apples account for about 50 percent of Japan’s total fruit exports. The major destination is Taiwan, accounting … Continue reading →

TOKYO, June. 30 — Argentina has officially opened its meat market to Japanese fresh beef, giving Japan a boost to agricultural export ambitions. Shipments of eligible Japanese beef have been allowed to enter Argentina without any age limit conditions, the Japanese agriculture ministry said on June 29. Japan will likely export fresh beef to Argentina for the first time in its history as early as July. The South American country is the world’s No. 6 beef supplier and Argentineans consume almost six times as much beef per person as people in Japan. Japanese beef is seen as a key agricultural export, so the government considers market access progress on beef … Continue reading →

TOKYO, June 27 — Total area cultivated with genetically modified (GM) crops rose 3% to a record in 2017 from a year earlier, as farmers in developing countries seeked to boost output, a study has showed. The area planted with GM crops totaled 189.8 million hectares in 24 countries last year, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). The ISAAA is a non-profit group that promotes the use of biotech crops. According to the ISAAA figure, 19 developing countries, including Brazil, India and Pakistan, accounted for 53 percent of the world’s GM area. Biotech soybeans accounted for 50 percent of the global GM crop area. … Continue reading →