Tag Archives: Opinion

  Yoichi Tashiro, Professor of agricultural economics at Otsuma Women’s University The revised Agricultural Co-operative Society Law, which strongly reflects the intentions of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration, was recently approved in the Diet. There are many aspects of the law that don’t make sense, and a rule on assigning primary farm co-ops (JAs)’ directors is one of them. The new law states that more than half of primary JAs’ directors should be certified farmers or professionals of farm product sales and corporate management, and that boards of directors should not be largely imbalanced in terms of age and gender. However, JAs are not public institutions nor government-funded organizations. They … Continue reading →

  Senior special writer, Masaru Yamada “Agricultural co-ops are old-fashioned and do not contribute to strengthening agriculture. It is necessary to get the help of private companies.” This is what supporters of the ongoing agricultural co-operatives reform apparently think. But when we turn our eyes abroad, we see a different landscape. Many industrialized countries are pushing to empower farmers’ organizations. Are they going in the wrong direction, or is Japan going the wrong way? The Australian government released the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper on Monday, July 6, and outlined initiatives and commitments by the government on five priority areas to ensure a stronger farm sector. At the top of the … Continue reading →