Japan’s agriculture minister visits Miyazaki which will host the G7 farm ministers’ meeting

MIYAZAKI, March 19 — Tetsuro Nomura, the minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, visited on March 18 the city of Miyazaki which will host the Group of Seven agricultural ministers’ meeting in April and exchanged opinions with Miyazaki Gov. Shunji Kono and others. Nomura reiterated that the meeting will focus on food security and said Japan plans to explain efforts related to its Green Food System Strategy aimed at reducing the environmental impact of agriculture, including extensive cooperation between crop farming and livestock production. The farm ministers’ meeting, to be chaired by Nomura, is scheduled to be held on April 22 and 23 at Seagaia Convention Center in the city. … Continue reading

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Private guidelines established for safe use of black soldier fly larvae as animal feed

TOKYO, Mar. 8 – A private organization in Japan has established guidelines for black soldier fly production to ensure the safe use of larvae as feed materials and food. The new private guidelines are now in place to gain consumers’ trust and confidence, following the ones created last year for crickets. While insects are gathering attention as alternative protein sources for farm animals and humans, there are no public rules for raising the insect. Insect Business Research and Development Platform (iBPF), a group of research institutes including Osaka International University and private companies, developed the guidelines. The black soldier fly is a promising future material for feed due to its … Continue reading

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Exports of Fukushima farm produce strengthen 12 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake

FUKUSHIMA, March 11 — Exports of agricultural items grown and processed in Fukushima Prefecture have been showing brisk growth, as the prefecture recovers from the 2011 Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant accident. Shipments of alcohol products, mainly Japanese sake, are rising and Fukushima-grown peaches occupy the top share among Japanese peaches sold in Southeast Asian markets. Fukushima also signed a deal with a supermarket in the United States for large-scale shipments of rice. With the trend of the weak yen and more countries and regions relaxing import restrictions on food products from Fukushima imposed after the nuclear disaster, the exports are expected to have grown at a higher pace … Continue reading

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Porridge products proving popular in Japan as quick and healthy food

TOKYO, Feb. 26 – The market for porridge products is recently expanding amid growing needs for the food as a daily meal, with food manufacturers introducing new items. Porridge has typically been regarded as a dish for the elderly and the sick, but consumers became aware of the benefits of low-calorie, ready-to-eat porridge products while they stayed home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies are coming up with new products which are filling and easier to eat. More people are now having porridge for breakfast or a light meal, triggering hopes for increased rice consumption. Major food maker Ajinomoto Co. will start selling on March 18 a new chicken porridge pouch … Continue reading

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Twelve years after 3/11: Seeing the mess after the quake “brings back good memories of the past rather than sadness and emptiness”

FUKUSHIMA, Mar. 7 – Almost twelve years have passed since the massive earthquake and the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Plant hit the eastern part of Japan. In mid-February this year, a reconstruction promotion manager of a local agricultural cooperative in Fukushima Prefecture (JA Fukushima Sakura) visited an ex-JA building in Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture, for the first time after the evacuation order was lifted in August last year. Everything inside the building has been left almost untouched for 12 years, and traces of the turmoil are everywhere. A Japan Agricultural News reporter accompanied him on the visit. “This brings back good memories of … Continue reading

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