Rice Harvest Set to be Abundant; Government
Rice Purchasing May Start Within Year
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries' (MAFF) assessment of crop
quantity
and growth status as of August 15,
released
on August 25, suggests that the 2004
rice
harvest is virtually certain to be
an abundant
one. Crop quantity is likely to be
"above
normal" for 13 prefectures in
the "early
earing areas" (spanning 19 prefectures, mostly
in eastern Japan), and growth status
is also
"above normal" for 22 prefectures
in the "late earing areas" (spanning 27 prefectures, mostly
in western Japan). The Statistics Department
commented, "Conditions in the
early
earing areas suggest that, nationwide, crop quantity
will be above average".
On September 10, MAFF revealed that it might
begin purchasing rice for use as government-marketed
rice ("government rice")
within
the year. A spokesman said, "We were planning to begin purchasing
in the New Year, but have been instructed
by Minister Yoshiyuki Kamei to start
as soon
as possible".
New rules introduced under the rice policy
reforms initiated this fiscal year
require
government inventory rice to be purchased
by tender. Once details of the method
of
operation of the tender system have
been
worked out, MAFF plans to be flexible
with
regard to the timing of purchasing,
taking
account of crop quantity and growth
conditions.
As to quantity, MAFF has already revealed
that it will be purchasing a maximum
of 400,000
tons.
On a national basis, MAFF expected
the crop
index for rice produced in 2004 to
exceed
100, the level representing the average
year,
but said the index was not likely to
not
rise as far as 109, the level recorded
for
rice produced in 1994, when the harvest
was
particularly abundant. MAFF's reason for this forecast is that the series
of typhoons that have hit Japan since
late
August have led to salt damage in the
island
of Sado, Niigata Prefecture, in the Shonai area of Yamagata Prefecture, and in the
coastal parts of Akita Prefecture,
and have
flattened large tracts in the southern
island
of Kyushu. MAFF stressed there is a
possibility
that crop quantity will vary considerably
according to variety and growing area.
Crop quantity and growth status for rice
produced in 2004
Crop quantity (early earing areas)
|
Crop quantity
|
Number of prefectures
|
|
"Above normal"
|
13 prefectures
|
|
"Normal"
|
6 prefectures
|
Crop growth status (late earing areas)
|
Crop growth status
|
Number of prefectures
|
|
"Good"
|
4 prefectures
|
|
"Above normal"
|
22 prefectures
|
|
"Normal"
|
1 prefecture
|
(Okinawa Prefecture not included as planting
season differs)
[Return]
"G-Men" to Protect New Varieties
of Agricultural Produce
On August 21, the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) revealed
that
it plans to reinforce measures to protect
new varieties of agricultural products.
To
ensure that pirated versions of superior
varieties of agricultural products
developed
in Japan do not spread in Japan and
overseas,
the Ministry intends to form a team
of "Variety
Protection G-Men", who will investigate
the extent of infringement of breeder's
rights,
and to increase the number of categories
of products for which DNA analysis
can be
used to prove scientifically that an
infringement
of breeder's rights has occurred. The
aim
is to increase the competitiveness
of producers
and production areas developing new
varieties.
New varieties of agricultural products are
protected as a type of intellectual
property.
Subject to screening and registration
with
MAFF, the Seed and Seedlings Law affords
the breeders of new "seeds and
seedlings"
and "crops" exclusive production
and export rights for 25 years in the
case
of trees and 20 years in the case of
all
other product categories.
Within Japan, efforts to curb piracy have
included raising the maximum fine that
can
be imposed on those infringing breeder's
rights, but the problem has not abated.
For
example, a pirated version of Yukitebo, a highly disease-resistant variety of white
kidney bean used for making shiro-an [white sweet bean paste], originally bred
in Hokkaido, has been imported from
China
while a pirated version of Hino-Midori,
a
new variety of igusa [a type of reed] with a slimmer stem, suitable
for making high-quality tatami mat facings, is being grown in China.
[Return]
FY 2005 MAFF Budget Request is 12.1% Up on
FY 2004; Reforms Focus on Support for
"Core
Farmers"
On August 26, the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) finalized its
outline request for agriculture, forestry
and fisheries-related budgets for FY 2005.
The total amount requested is 12.1% higher
than in FY 2004, at 3,421.2 billion yen.
The budget request anticipates agricultural
policy reforms including the creation of
a system of farming business stabilization
measures (Japanese-style direct payments)
that MAFF aims to introduce in FY 2007 together
with the limitation of the scope of these
measures to "core farmers"
and an expansion of their scale. It also
includes a budget for the continuation of
direct subsidies to farmers in hilly and
mountainous areas. As a counterproposal to
the request by local governments that subsidies
be reduced, it proposes that subsidies be
made easier to use by conversion to grants
or other means.
The outline budget request reflects the interim
report of the Planning Committee of
the Council
on Food, Agriculture and Rural Area
Policies,
summarizing the issues covered in the
discussion
of a New Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture
and Rural Areas.
It requests budgets to cover the putting
into effect of policies to be put forward
in the New Basic Plan, which is to be given
final approval by the Cabinet in March 2005.
These include the cost of studies, etc. relating
to (i) farming business stabilization measures
for "core farmers" such as subsidies,
proportional to area planted in the past,
in respect of wheat and barley, soybeans,
etc., and the supplementation of agricultural
revenue or income if these fall, (ii) measures
to support initiatives for the preservation
of agricultural land and water supplies and
(iii) measures to support environmental conservation
initiatives.
To prepare for the reduction of the scope
of application of business stabilization
measures, measures for the fostering and recruitment
of a wide variety of "core farmers",
are to be expanded and new projects
established.
MAFF intends to support the formulation
of
plans for the fostering of "core
farmers"
by local government bodies, invest
in agricultural
production corporations, establish
a Commission
for the Revitalization of Agriculture
(provisional
name), whose responsibilities will
include
evaluating the feasibility of revitalizing
the business of farmers with heavy
debts,
and promoting the organization of community
farming.
MAFF also responded to the proposal by six
local government organizations, including
the National [Prefectural] Governors' Association, that subsidies
should be reduced and local government
authorities
be given greater power to raise local
taxes
on their own initiative. MAFF plans
to maintain
the 308.9 billion yen of MAFF subsidies
included
in the list proposed for reduction
and to
respond to the demands for reduction
by making
them easier to use and giving local
governments
greater autonomy and discretion in
their
use.
MAFF has brought 177 non-public works subsidized
projects under the umbrella of 7 non-project
specific grants with titles such as "Ensuring Food Safety
and Peace of Mind", "Creating
a
Strong Agricultural Sector" and
"Creating
Strong Communities". The procedures
for local government bodies applying
for
these grants will be simplified as
compared
with the existing subsidies system.
Which
projects to undertake in which area
and how
much budget should be allocated to
each project
will also be left to local governments
to
decide.
In the case of public works projects such
as waste water treatment, road, fishing
port
and harbor, and shoreline projects,
MAFF
also intends that local governments
should
be able to use a part of similar budget
allocations
coming from various ministries for
projects
of their choice.
Key Points of Outline Budget Request
Emphasis on the consumer
Making food education a popular movement; Development of systems to ensure food safety and peace of mind |
Bringing forward agricultural policy reforms
Budgets for studies on Japanese-style direct payments, etc.; Acceleration of the consolidation of farmland use |
Securing budgets for rice policy reforms
Budgets to cover expenses relating to production area development, price supplementation |
Proactive agricultural policy
Expansion of measures to promote agricultural exports; Development of new technology |
Continuation of direct subsidies to farmers in hilly and mountainous areas
Period of subsidization to be extended by 5 years; Present scale of project to be maintained |
Reform of subsidies
177 subsidized projects to be amalgamated in the form of 7 non-project specific grants, made easier for local governments to use |
[Return]
Meteorological Agency to Issue Weather Bulletins
for Farmers From FY 2006
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) will
begin issuing "Meteorological
Information
for Farmers" from FY 2006. Criteria
for the issue of bulletins will be
decided
in respect of each major local crop,
and
farmers will be warned if weather phenomena
are thought likely to have an impact
on crops.
The intention is to interpret weather
forecasts
as broadcast to the general public
from an
agricultural viewpoint, and to help
prevent
crop damage of the kind caused by the
cold
summer of 2003.
Local meteorological observatories will gather
information on the growth status of
major
crops and the impact of weather phenomena,
and draw up standards on the content
and
timing of bulletins. If an observatory
judges
that observations and forecast data
fulfill
the criteria, a bulletin will be issued
under
the title of "Meteorological Information
for Farmers". A typical bulletin
could
announce that, starting in 3 days'
time,
the temperature was expected to fall
to 17
degrees Celsius or lower for a period
of
several days, bringing a risk that
rice kernels
would fail to form, and advise farmers that deep flooding of
rice paddies would be an effective
countermeasure.
JMA will collaborate with the Ministry
of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
to develop
standards by the end of FY 2005 and
plans
to issue its bulletins via local government
bodies and private-sector weather companies.
[Return]
Agricultural Production Decline Continues;
Index Down 20% Over Past Decade
On August 31, the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) released
the
latest edition of its Indices of Agricultural Production by Products (base year 2000), a report on trends in
production volume of agricultural products.
The index of total agricultural production
for 2003 was 92.3, down 5% on 2002,
largely
owing to the sharp fall in the size
of the
rice harvest as a result of the cool
summer.
The index of total agricultural production
has been falling since its previous
peak
of 116.1 in 1986, and has dropped by
20%
over the past decade. It seems that
efforts
to halt the decline in domestic agricultural
production have yet to take effect.
The breakdown by category shows that although
the index of production of wheat and
barley,
etc. rose very slightly to 118.3, the index for
other crops was virtually unchanged,
largely
owing to unfavorable weather conditions. The index of rice production fell by 12.3%
year-on-year to 82.2, the index for
fruit
fell by 6.2% to 95.2 and the index
for beef
cattle fell by 5.6% to 88.4. The only
categories
for which the index was over 100 were
wheat
and barley, dairy cattle and broiler
chickens.
In the words of the MAFF Statistics Department,
the movement of the index of total
agricultural
production is "the trend of Japanese
agriculture itself". This latest
fall
is due to the unfavorable weather conditions
in 2003 coming on top of the impact
of the
liberalization of trade in agricultural
products.
MAFF counts raising Japan's food self-sufficiency
ratio and increasing domestic production
among its objectives, but the reality
is
that the production indices show no
sign
of rising.
[Return]
FSC Concludes Blanket Testing Cannot Detect
BSE in Cattle Under 20 Months
On September 9, the Food Safety Commission
(FSC) formally expressed the view that
current
testing methods are effectively unable
to
detect BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) infection in cattle under the age of 20
months. In response, the Ministry of
Health,
Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) are expected
to set about reviewing domestic BSE
countermeasures
with a view to the possible exclusion
of
cattle under 20 months of age from
the scope
of testing, and submit proposals for
such
a revision to the FSC. This full-scale
review
of safety measures comes only three
years
after the outbreak of BSE in Japan.
The FSC approved a draft interim report by
its Prion Expert Committee which states, "The
fact that tests did not detect BSE
infection
in cattle under the age of 20 months
should
be given due consideration when considering
what form Japan's BSE countermeasures
should
take in future." Approximately
1.11
million cattle are slaughtered in Japan
each
year. In 2003, 12% of these were under
the
age of 20 months.
The strong opposition to the relaxation of
the requirement for blanket testing
among
Japanese consumers gives cause for
concern
that they may shy away from beef once
more.
Once a review of domestic BSE countermeasures
is decided, talks between Japan and
the United
States regarding conditions for the
lifting
of the ban on imports of beef from
the United
States will begin in earnest. The United
States is certain to find the drawing
of
the line at 20 months unacceptable,
and it
is still uncertain when imports will
be resumed.
Commenting on the proposed review of Japan's
BSE countermeasures at a press conference
given after the meeting on September
9, FSC
Chairman Masaaki Terada stressed that
the
best way to reduce the risk to human
health
is to remove specified risk materials
(SRM)
and urged the people of Japan to support
a switch to measures emphasizing the
removal
of SRM. Regarding the fact that the
interim
report concludes that it is difficult
to
detect BSE infection in cattle under
the
age of 20 months by means of blanket
testing,
until now a focal issue in the debate,
Mr.
Terada said, "[The report] simply
states
the facts and it is possible that [BSE-positive
animals] will be detected if tests
are carried
out."
Regarding the assessment of the safety of
beef produced in the United States,
Mr. Terada
indicated that the FSC plans to assess
its
safety in conjunction with the resumption
of imports, telling reporters, "We
must
consider the overall degree of control
and
extent of infection [in the United
States]. Naturally, if the standards are not equivalent
to those applied in Japan, we will
lose the
trust of the people."
On September 10, Minister of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries Yoshiyuki Kamei
and
Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Chikara Sakaguchi indicated that they would "respect"
the view of the FSC that it was difficult
to detect abnormal prions in BSE-infected cattle under the age of
20 months, and expressed their intention
of reviewing safety measures with a
view
to the possible exclusion of cattle
under
the age of 20 months from blanket testing.
Referring to the talks between Japan and
the United States regarding conditions
for
the lifting of the ban on imports of
beef
from the United States, which are now
set
to begin in earnest, Mr. Kamei emphasized,
"We still believe that measures
equivalent
to those in force in Japan, including
determining
the age of the animal to be slaughtered
and
the removal of SRM, are required."
Mr. Sakaguchi said that, as it was important to obtain
consumer approval for the resumption
of imports,
it was likely to be some time before
the
negotiations between Japan and the
United
States were concluded, telling reporters,
"We probably will not reach a
settlement
as quickly as all that."
In conjunction with the review of domestic
countermeasures, Mr. Sakaguchi emphasized that a dialog with consumers
was essential, Mr. Kamei that the support
and understanding of consumers would
be sought
as the review process was pursued.
[Return]
Dairy Cow in Kyushu is Japan's 12th Case of BSE
On September 13, the Ministry of Health,
Labour and Welfare announced that a dairy cow slaughtered
in Kumamoto Prefecture was infected
with
BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). The animal is Japan's 12th case of BSE, and the first reported in the
Kyushu region.
The infected animal, a female of the Holstein
breed, was born on July 3, 1999, prior
to
the ban on the manufacture and sale
of meat-and-bone
meal made from cattle imposed after
the discovery
of the first case of BSE in Japan.
Meat from
the animal did not go to market.
[Return]
Japan-ASEAN FTA Talks to Begin Next Spring,
Aiming for Agreement Within 2 Years
Consultations between the Japanese Ministry
of Economy, Trade and Industry and
the economic
ministers of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN), held in Jakarta
on
September 4, resulted in an agreement
to
commence formal negotiations in April
2005,
with a view to the conclusion of a
comprehensive
economic partnership agreement (EPA)
based
on a free trade agreement (FTA). A
target
of reaching an agreement within 2 years
was
included in the joint statement issued
after
the consultations. An agreement to
begin
negotiations will be signed at the
summit
meeting to be held in Viangchan, Laos, in November this year. Japan already
has a bilateral FTA with Singapore
and expects
a similar agreement with Mexico to
come into
effect next spring, but this is the
first
time that it has entered into negotiations
for an FTA with a regional organization
that
spans national borders.
Japan is also engaged in bilateral negotiations
with Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines,
but the start of formal negotiations
between
Japan and ASEAN will effectively also
signal
the start of negotiations with the
six remaining
ASEAN countries, including Indonesia.
[Return]
Japan, Mexico Aim to Put FTA Agreement Into
Effect in April 2005
The governments of Japan and Mexico plan
to put the free trade agreement (FTA)
concluded
in March this year into effect on April
1,
2005. The date will be included in
a joint
statement to be issued by Mexican President
Vicente Fox and Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi when the latter visits Mexico for
the signing of the agreement in mid-September.
The signing ceremony will mark the official
conclusion of negotiations that began
in
November 2002. For Japan, the FTA with
Mexico
will be the first major agreement of
its
kind, as it includes provisions effectively
abolishing tariffs on agricultural
products.
In April 2005, tariffs on 850 categories
of agricultural, forestry and fisheries
products
will be abolished exclusively in relation
to trade with Mexico. Tariffs on fruit
juices
(grape, lemon, etc.) will be reduced
by stages
starting in FY 2005, and eventually
abolished
between FY 2007 and FY 2009. Tariffs
on fruit
such as cherries and peaches will similarly
be abolished between FY 2011 and FY
2014.
As to pork, a focal issue in the negotiations,
the low-tariff quota that reduces the
current
tariff to 2.2%, half its present level,
will
be set at 38,000 tons for FY 2005 and
increased
by stages to 80,000 tons by FY 2009.
However,
the gate price system in respect of imports of
cheaper pork will remain in place,
and the
quota will apply only to pork with
an import
price of more than 393 yen/kg.
Tariff Treatment of 5 Major Product Categories
(assuming FTA comes into effect on April
1, 2005)
|
Pork
|
Low-tariff import quota halving tariff:
38,000t in FY 2005 ® 80,000t in FY 2009
|
|
Orange juice
|
Low-tariff import quota halving tariff:
4,000t in FY 2005 ® 6,500t in FY 2009
|
|
Beef
|
Tariff-free quota:
10t in FY 2005, 2006, 3,000-6,000t in FY
2007-2009
(tariff level to be reviewed)
|
|
Chicken meat
|
Tariff-free quota:
2,500-8,500t in FY 2006-2009
(tariff level to be reviewed)
|
|
Oranges (fresh)
|
Tariff-free quota:
10t in FY 2005, 2006, 2,000-4,000t in FY
2007-2009
(tariff level to be reviewed)
|
[Return]
JA Zenchu Voices Concern Over Sharp Rise in China's
Exports of Leeks to Japan
A meeting of the Japan-China Council on Trade
in Agricultural Products, whose mission
is
to promote order in trade in agricultural
products between Japan and China was
held
in Shanghai on September 14. Representatives
of JA Zenchu (Japan's Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives)
expressed strong concern over the sharp
rise
in exports to Japan of negi leeks produced in China, telling the Council
that export volume had risen by 20%
year-on-year
and had even exceeded the previous
year's
level, hitherto the highest on record.
JA
Zenchu said that if exports to Japan continued
to grow at the present rate into the
autumn,
when demand reaches a peak, negi-growing areas in Japan would be dealt a
severe blow, and asked China to ensure
orderly
shipment.
Present at the meeting of the Council were
representatives of agricultural organizations,
importers and exporters of agricultural
products,
and government officials. In addition
to
exchanging information on supply of
and demand
for products such as negi leeks in their respective countries, representatives
discussed how order should be maintained
in trade in agricultural products.
The Council
last met around six months ago.
JA Zenchu emphasized the strong sense of crisis among
farmers in negi-producing areas of Japan vis-à-vis
the sharp rise in exports of Chinese
negi to Japan, telling the Council, "If
exports continue to grow at the present
rate,
we fear that protests from farmers
will grow,
and that there will be a repeat of
the kind
of problems seen in 2000."
From September to the end of the year, Chinese
exports of negi to Japan topped 4,000 tons per month, leading
to the activation of safeguards (emergency
import restriction measures) in April
2001.
If imports of negi from China continue to grow at the present
pace, they are likely to exceed 50,000
tons,
well above the level recorded in 2003,
the
highest on record to date, and there
is concern
over the potential impact on domestic
production.
Since the beginning of 2004, negi grown in China have been coming into Japan
at a rate in excess of 4,000 tons/month.
Import volume for the January-July
period
was 30,758 tons, 22% up on the same
period
in 2003 when import volume reached
a record
high, and already equal to 80% of import
volume for the whole of 2003 (37,373
tons).
Reflecting the rise in imports, the market
price of domestic negi continues to be lower than in 2003.
[Return]
Number of People in Japan Over 100 Rises
to Record High of 23,000; Over 80%
are Women
On September 14, the Ministry of Health,
Labour and Welfare released this year's edition
of its Choju Banzuke ["Longevity Ranking" – the
image is taken from the ranking of
sumo wrestlers]. At the end of September 2004,
the number of people in Japan aged
100 or
over is set to rise to a record level
of
23,038. The number of very old people
in
Japan looks set to continue rising,
with
approximately 12,000 due to reach the
age
of 100 by the end of FY 2004 (March
2005).
Overall, the number of people aged 100 or
over has risen by 247 since last year.
By
gender, women are the overwhelming
majority,
with the figures at the end of September
expected to be 3,523 men and 19,515
women.
As a national average, the number of people
aged 100 or over per 100,000 this year
is
18.05. By prefecture, Okinawa is on
course
to come in 1st place for the 32nd consecutive year since 1973, with 47.07 per
100,000, followed by Kochi with 40.52
and
Shimane with 37.85. Saitama is expected
to
record the lowest figure for the 15th year in succession at only 8.54, Aomori
placing 46th with 10.19 and Chiba 45th with 10.74.
[Return]
The Cooling Effect of Farmland: 10 Ares of
Paddy Equivalent to 80 Air Conditioners
Paddy fields filled with water help to prevent
the temperature of their surroundings
from
rising. The Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry
and Fisheries (MAFF) believes that
other
farmland may also help to relieve the
intense
heat of summer and from this fiscal
year
will be launching a three-year study
into
the cooling effect of farmland, taking
into
account distance from farmland, type
of crop
and wind direction.
According to MAFF's calculations, the average temperature in
the Kanto region (the location of Tokyo)
should cause approximately 6.1 tons
of water
per day to evaporate from 10 ares of paddy field, taking some 3,617,300 kilocalories
out of the air in the form of vaporization
heat. In terms of air-cooling power,
this
is equivalent to 80 air-conditioners
of the
type designed for rooms measuring 6-9
jo [9.18-13.77 m2; jo is a traditional measure of area based on
the tatami mat].
In August last year, a preparatory survey
conducted by the City of Kasukabe in Saitama Prefecture, where built-up areas
are interspersed with sizeable tracts
of
farmland, found that even on days when
the
temperature in built-up areas reached
35°C, it was only 29.5°C in paddy field areas. The Kanto Regional
Agricultural Administration Office
(Saitama)
said the survey confirmed that the
closer
the area where temperature measurements
were
taken was to farmland, the lower the
temperature.
From FY 2005, the scientists will extend
their survey area to a number of municipalities
in the southern part of Saitama Prefecture,
close to the border with Tokyo, and
continue
their measurements at different times
of
day and under different weather conditions.
[Return]
New Technology Allows Mass Production of
Genes of Protein that Makes Sour Foods
Taste
Sweet
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba's
Gene Experiment Center (Tsukuba, Ibaraki
Prefecture) announced on September 10 that they have
developed a technology that makes it
possible
to mass produce the genes of "miraculin", a protein that makes sour foods taste
sweet.
Miraculin is a protein found in the miracle fruit,
which is native to West Africa, but
was until
now considered difficult to mass-produce.
The researchers hope that the new technology
will make it possible to use the gene
in
creating sugarless sweeteners and in
therapeutic
diet foods for diabetics.
Miraculin stimulates the taste buds on the tongue
that send a "sweet" signal
to the
brain when they detect a sweet food.
The
effect is amplified if the protein
is taken
in combination with acids, to the point
that,
if a sour food is eaten directly after
miracle
fruit, the taste buds send a fake "sweet"
signal to the brain.
For this reason, miracle fruit has been used
in diets for many years. However, it
is difficult
to cultivate outside the tropics.
The Tsukuba team therefore created a "genetically
modified lettuce" into which they
inserted
the genes for miraculin. Growing lettuce, which is more easily cultivated,
should make it possible to mass-produce
the
miraculin genes.
[Return]
MAFF to Use DNA Tests for Rice Inspection
With a view to promoting accuracy in the field of rice inspection, where privatization
is advancing, the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is to
conduct
DNA tests at rice inspection centers.
To
ensure that the work of certifying
rice varieties
is being done properly, the tests will
be
carried out nationwide. Last year,
a series
of cases came to light in which inspection
results were found to be incorrect
and MAFF's aim is to restore faith in the inspection
system. MAFF has carried out DNA tests
at
the distribution stage in the past,
but this
will be the first time that it has
done so
at the inspection stage prior to distribution.
MAFF plans to spend approximately 300 million
yen on DNA testing between mid-September,
when the harvesting of rice grown in
2004
begins in earnest, and March 2005.
The program
will cover some 11,000 rice inspection
centers
around Japan.
If a sample is found to contain rice of varieties
other than that named on the certificate,
MAFF intends to require a temporary
suspension
of the distribution of rice grown by
the
farmer from whom the sample was obtained
and investigate the reasons. To date,
the
certification of rice varieties has
been
based on visual inspections.
Rice inspection involves checking quality,
grading, and certifying the provenance
and
the name of the variety of rice. For
many
years, only the district food offices
(now
known as district agriculture offices)
were
authorized to carry out this work.
However, the revised Agricultural Products
Inspection Law, which came into effect
in
April 2001, set out plans for the privatization
of rice inspection, and JA cooperatives,
agricultural production corporations
and
rice wholesalers around Japan entered
the
inspection business. Today, there are
approximately
800 rice inspection organizations and
6,300
private-sector rice inspectors.
The plan is that district agricultural offices
will gradually withdraw from rice inspection
and that full privatization will be
achieved
by FY 2006.
[Return]
Disaster Prevention Day: Let us Take Greater
Interest in Urban Agriculture
Natural disasters are an ever-present danger.
As a volcanic archipelago, Japan is
particularly
vulnerable to major earthquakes. Last
year,
too, the Tohoku and Hokkaido regions
were
rocked by a series of earthquakes measuring
just over and just under 6 on the Japanese
scale of seismic intensity. Japan also
frequently
suffers wind and flood damage as a
result
of typhoons. You could call the whole
archipelago
a disaster zone. That is why it is
so important
that we strive to prevent disasters.
In the
event of a major disaster, securing
emergency
refuge zones and food are important
issues,
too. This is particularly true in urban
areas.
For this reason, a number of local
government
bodies have signed disaster prevention
agreements
with local farmers and JA cooperatives.
September
1 is Disaster Prevention Day. We should
recognize,
once more, the importance of agriculture
in terms of disaster prevention.
In a major natural disaster, transport links
are severed. Distribution from production
areas in the provinces to markets in
centers
of consumption is disrupted. In major
centers
of consumption, there is a risk that
a stable
supply of food will not be available.
For
this reason, the way the food industry
(including
convenience stores, supermarkets and
food
production and processing companies)
responds
in an emergency is critical. Local
government
bodies are also signing agreements
with the
food industry.
At the same time, hopes are riding on the
"support capability" of JA
cooperatives
and farmers. Farmers have farmland
that can
be used as an emergency refuge zone.
Plastic
hothouses can provide shelter from
rain and
dew. Many farms also have wells. They
can
supply rice, vegetables and other food.
JA
cooperatives command spacious facilities
such as fruit sorting sheds, car parks
and
warehouses. Farmers and JA cooperatives
have
forklift trucks, chainsaws, tractors,
light
trucks and other equipment that can
be used
for shifting earth and debris, and
for emergency
transportation purposes. Stocks of
food and
agricultural supplies held by JA Zen-Noh
and other bodies can also be used for
disaster
relief. In the aftermath of the Great
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, rice balls made by cooperative
members using rice from JA cooperative
warehouses
saved many victims of the disaster.
However, unless we keep track of what materials
are where and who can provide which
functions,
on a day-to-day basis, we will not
be able
to make full use of those functions
in an
emergency. We must also prepare in
such a
way that we are able to use them when
it
comes to the crunch.
For this reason, a number of local government
bodies have signed disaster prevention
agreements
with farmers, JA cooperatives and their
federations.
Take, for example, the City of Yokohama's
Disaster-Cooperation Farmland Registration
System. When farmland is registered
under
this system signboards are put up and
the
City of Yokohama constantly reminds
its citizens
that the land has been designated as
emergency
refuge zones or disaster prevention
areas.
Some of the land may be used to store
relief
supplies. In addition to such schemes
for
the use of farmland, municipalities
such
as Mitaka and Musashino in Tokyo also have "fresh food procurement
agreements" with JA cooperatives.
The
idea is to secure a supply of vegetables,
etc. with the help of farmers participating
in the direct sales outlets system.
Entering into such agreements is surely a
social responsibility of farmers and
JA cooperatives.
At the same time, society should be
more
conscious of the value of having farmers,
farmland and agriculture close at hand,
in
other words, the fact that, besides
their
primary role of supplying fresh food,
they
are able to fulfill other functions
in the
event of a disaster.
Disaster prevention is an important function
of public institutions. However, a
spirit
of cooperation among local residents
is also
essential. To limit the damage, it
is vital
that we all recognize the importance
of pooling
our strengths and make it a rule to
do so,
through agreements and other means.
(from an editorial in the September 1, 2004 issue of the Nihon Nogyo Shimbun)
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