Fruits dominate rankings of farm produce showing year-on-year rise in exports in 2022

TOKYO, Feb. 9 — Persimmons topped the list of agricultural items whose exports posted year-on-year increase in terms of value in 2022, and fruits occupied more than half of the top 10 products, according to rankings compiled by the Japan Agricultural News based on agriculture ministry statistics on farm produce exports. Eggs and rice were also ranked high on the list. Exports of items which succeeded in meeting the needs of importing countries with their good taste and high quality unique to Japanese produce have risen in particular. The Japan Agricultural News listed major agricultural products which recorded exports of 100 million yen or more in 2022 and ranked them … Continue reading

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Yudeboshi-Daikon (boiled and dried radish) gets more flavor in cold wind (Saikai City, Nagasaki Prefecture)

NAGASAKI, Feb. 6 – Omotate Region, Saikai City, Nagasaki Prefecture, is now busy making yudeboshi-daikon (dried radish stripes), an amazing traditional food. Local farmers are drying boiled daikon radish strips on the structure built on the coastline facing the Goto-nada Sea, utilizing northwestern sea wind, which is necessary to deepen the flavor of the product. Steam rises from the boiled radishes, and that is one of the most typical sights on a cold winter’s day here. Yudeboshi daikon is a non-perishable food. The farmers cut daikon radishes into stripes, boil and dry them in the cold air for one whole day and night. They use Daiei Okura daikon, which is … Continue reading

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Japan’s agricultural exports rise 11% in 2022 excluding processed items

TOKYO, Feb. 4 — The value of Japan’s exports of primary agricultural products in 2022 rose 11 percent from the previous year to 381.8 billion yen. The figure was calculated by subtracting the value of exports of processed food items from the total amount, based on the data released by the agriculture ministry on Feb. 3. Amid the recovery of demand for eating out as well as the steady household and gift demands, orders for Japan-made produce increased due to their comparatively low prices thanks to the weak yen. Japan is facing the challenge of maintaining the popularity of its farm products, as consumption is expected to slow down in … Continue reading

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Yellow nabana canola blossom carpets signal arrival of spring (Awa, Chiba Prefecture)

CHIBA, Jan. 30 – Spring is here already on the Boso Peninsula, Chiba Prefecture. Canola flowers are in full bloom on the southern side of the peninsula in Awa, creating beautiful yellow carpets. The region is a primary producer of edible canola blossoms (nabana in Japanese) and is in the busy harvesting season. The temperature rose to 14 degrees Celsius on the 20th of this month, and farmers were busy harvesting in the fields in Minami Boso City. They pick nabana with tight buds one by one by hand and put them in a large basket on their backs. A local agricultural cooperative in Chiba, JA Awa, covers three cities … Continue reading

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Prices of agricultural materials post record high in 2022, hit by increasing costs of fertilizers and feed

TOKYO, Feb. 1 — The agriculture price index for 2022, released by the agriculture ministry on Jan. 31, showed that the index for production materials was 116.6 with the base year being 2020, which means materials prices rose 16.6 percent in two years. The prices marked the highest since 1951 when data became available, up 9.3 percent from the previous year. The index for fertilizers was 130.5, up 27.1 percent from a year before and that for livestock feed posted 138, up 19.4 percent, pushing up the index for overall production materials. The agriculture price index shows changes in prices of agricultural production materials and farm produce. While materials prices … Continue reading

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