ID :
33601
Tue, 12/02/2008 - 22:08
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/33601
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Gov`t releases plan to raise Japan`s food self-sufficiency to 50%
TOKYO, Dec. 2 Kyodo - Farm minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday unveiled a road map for boosting
Japan's food self-sufficiency rate in calorie terms to 50 percent from the
current 40 percent in about 10 years mainly by increasing rice consumption and
wheat production.
The draft plan will undergo a thorough study by a dedicated panel from the end
of January and will be fleshed out with specific reform measures in 2010, the
minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries said at a press conference.
In light of growing demand for rice powder used in bread and other food, rice
powder production is to be jacked up to 500,000 tons from 10,000 tons in the
year ended in March 2008, according to the plan.
The ministry plans to have farmers grow 260,000 tons of rice for use in animal
feed. No rice was cultivated for such a purpose in fiscal 2007.
The plan calls for doubling production of wheat to 1.8 million tons from
910,000 tons in fiscal 2007 and that of soybean to 500,000 tons from 230,000
tons. The output of milk and dairy products will be also increased.
Productive use should be made of farm and other land that is now idle in order
to meet these targets, Ishiba said.
The ministry set the target of raising consumption of rice as a staple food to
63 kilograms per person annually from the current 61 kg. ''This target can be
achieved if Japanese people eat an additional bite of rice at every meal,'' a
ministry official said.
Japan's food self-sufficiency rate stood at 73 percent in fiscal 1965. But as
the country's diet became more westernized, the rate fell sharply to hit 39
percent -- the lowest level among industrialized countries -- in fiscal 2006.
It edged up 1 percentage point to 40 percent in fiscal 2007 for the first rise
in 13 years, as Japanese ate more rice due to soaring wheat prices.
Japan relies on imports for most of the wheat and soybeans it consumes. The
only food items the country currently produces sufficiently to meet domestic
demand are rice, eggs and a few other types of foods.
==Kyodo
Japan's food self-sufficiency rate in calorie terms to 50 percent from the
current 40 percent in about 10 years mainly by increasing rice consumption and
wheat production.
The draft plan will undergo a thorough study by a dedicated panel from the end
of January and will be fleshed out with specific reform measures in 2010, the
minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries said at a press conference.
In light of growing demand for rice powder used in bread and other food, rice
powder production is to be jacked up to 500,000 tons from 10,000 tons in the
year ended in March 2008, according to the plan.
The ministry plans to have farmers grow 260,000 tons of rice for use in animal
feed. No rice was cultivated for such a purpose in fiscal 2007.
The plan calls for doubling production of wheat to 1.8 million tons from
910,000 tons in fiscal 2007 and that of soybean to 500,000 tons from 230,000
tons. The output of milk and dairy products will be also increased.
Productive use should be made of farm and other land that is now idle in order
to meet these targets, Ishiba said.
The ministry set the target of raising consumption of rice as a staple food to
63 kilograms per person annually from the current 61 kg. ''This target can be
achieved if Japanese people eat an additional bite of rice at every meal,'' a
ministry official said.
Japan's food self-sufficiency rate stood at 73 percent in fiscal 1965. But as
the country's diet became more westernized, the rate fell sharply to hit 39
percent -- the lowest level among industrialized countries -- in fiscal 2006.
It edged up 1 percentage point to 40 percent in fiscal 2007 for the first rise
in 13 years, as Japanese ate more rice due to soaring wheat prices.
Japan relies on imports for most of the wheat and soybeans it consumes. The
only food items the country currently produces sufficiently to meet domestic
demand are rice, eggs and a few other types of foods.
==Kyodo
