Tag Archives: News

【News】 Japanese co-operatives present a PR video at a global conference of co-ops (Nov. 13, 2015)

  The Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu) presented a Japanese version of a video about the contribution of co-operatives at the Global Conference of the International Co-operative Alliance on Wednesday, Nov. 11, in Antalya, Turkey. Representing the Japan Joint Committee of Cooperatives made up of 15 national co-operative organizations in Japan, JA-Zenchu made the presentation at a panel discussion on ICA’s global marketing campaign aimed to raise public awareness of co-operative activities. Japan is one of the four pilot countries which have created a video for the “Cooperatives for a Better World” campaign based on ICA’s version released in summer. The Japanese video is designed to make viewers think … Continue reading

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【News】 Country-of-origin labeling requirement for ingredients to be expanded for processed foods (Nov. 13, 2015)

The Consumer Affairs Agency on Thursday, Nov. 12, began discussing increasing the number of processed foods which are required to display where their ingredients originated from, as imports of agricultural and other food items are expected to increase under the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement. The measure is aimed at providing more information for consumers who prefer buying foods which use home-grown farm items as ingredients. However, authorities are likely to have difficulty deciding to what extent the requirements should be expanded, as processed food manufacturers will voice opposition to the idea which could lead to cost increases. The agency officials, who revealed the policy at a meeting of the Liberal … Continue reading

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【News】 Rice growers fear imported rice will take away share in the food service market – Chikusei, Ibaraki Prefecture (Nov. 7, 2015)

Satoshi Furusawa, a 58-year-old farmer who grows rice on some 30 hectares of paddies in Chikusei, Ibraki Prefecture, says he is increasingly concerned that under the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement, domestically-grown rice will be forced out from the market for restaurants and ready-made foods. In the area where JA Kitatsukuba, a farm co-op in Chikusei, serves, rice farmers have recently been expanding sales channels to food service companies. As for table rice they harvested in 2015, 70 percent of the total annual yield of some 17,800 tons are sold to such companies. Their major brand Koshihikari is known for good taste, and it is popular among restaurants and convenience stores … Continue reading

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【News】 Farmers go stylish (Nov. 1, 2015)

Kazuhiro Eguchi Farming is changing by the power of design. Agricultural equipment and work wears have so far been designed with an emphasis on functionality. Farmers today, however, have more and more options with style and uniqueness, as manufacturers are asking world-famous industrial and fashion designers and non-agricultural corporations to help them make and accelerate the change. “This is fabulous!” A man was speaking to himself excitedly as he got in a tractor that was on display at the Tokyo Motor Show 2015 held in Koto-ku, Tokyo. The model, the YT5113 Limited Edition large-sized tractor, was designed by Kiyoyuki “Ken” Okuyama for Yanmar Holdings Co. The 59-year-old world-famous industrial designer … Continue reading

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【News】 Ministry predicts price drop for 12 farm items due to Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (Oct. 30, 2015)

   Agriculture ministry’s impact analysis of TPP agreement The agriculture ministry announced on Thursday, Oct. 29, that 12 out of 21 agricultural items will face price declines affected by imports of low-priced products as a result of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement. The ministry’s analysis of the agreement’s impact on products including rice, wheat, sugar and some vegetables and fruits indicates the government acknowledges that domestic producers of a wide range of items will be negatively affected by the agreement. The ministry classified the 21 items into three categories: rice, wheat and barley under the category of “unrestricted increase in imports unlikely”; 10 items such as starch under “limited impact … Continue reading

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