Corn stolen from Yamanashi farms for 2nd time in a week
YAMANASHI —
Police said Sunday that about 250 corn cobs were stolen from a farm in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture. It was the second theft of corn in the Shimomukoyamacho area in one week.
According to police, the 79-year-old grower noticed the theft at about 5 a.m. Sunday, TV Asahi reported. The corn cobs had been torn off the stalks. The grower said the stolen produce was worth about 50,000 yen.
Police said that a similar theft occurred a week ago two kilometers away. In that incident, about 100 corn cobs were stolen, TV Asahi reported. In both incidents, the thefts occurred just before harvest time.
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24 Comments
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-5
REMzzz
Wild boar digging up rice paddies, bears mangling other crops and now this... Sooner or later Japanese farmers need to be able to own guns, at least as a deterrent...
6
Ewan Huzarmy
Is this the work of the Great Cornholio ?
0
Matthew Simon
Somebody is stealing them to sell them I bet.
1
realteacher
You obviously live in the city, whereas I do live in Yamanashi and damn near every farmer I know has at least a shotgun, some an actual hunting rifle. Get your facts straight.
2
Wakarimasen
How is gettring a gun the answer to the theft of some corn cobs?
0
GW
The last 2 years I have had all my corn stolen too, but it was one of the local hakobishin who wud take 4-5bites outta each cob & then onto the next one LOL, so this year I am growing closer to home where hopefully they wont show up.
Out in the inaka best thing is to have a dog or 2 around to keep the critters away & to bark when the thieves show up & then there is the shotgun defence
2
Aqualung
Farms must be small to notice 250 cobs of corn stolen. No wonder the prices are outrageous in Japan.
0
Debucho
why not just set up a surveillance camera? too easy i guess
0
Dennis Bauer
Shocking news, how many undercover Corn police are on the case? :p
2
Iowan
Nobody steals corn cobs in Iowa: 20 cents each or 2$ for 12. It's easier just to buy it.
People do steal corn but it's usually a semi-trailer with tons of seed.
Hope they catch the thief.
1
Alex Einz
200 yen a cob ?
6
silvertongue
If only the corn had eyes instead of being all ears.
0
REMzzz
Good to know. However i did come across someone saying that there was a bureaucratic issue or something that was keeping some farmers from obtaining gun licenses, and they were having a wild boar problem. I might have to google to see if it's indeed true.
1
bajhista65
Proof of poverty caused by Japan's economic problems.
1
Gurukun
Something is corny about this story.
0
wtfjapan
200yen for one cob, wtf, only in Japan, BRING ON THE TPP quick!!
0
Tom Webb
Money must be running out for these country people if they have to steal corn to survive. I can see all kinds of stolen veggies and fruits next in the headlines. The country folks must be getting desperate. First they pawn off the family keepsakes, grandma's cherished kimonos, property lots, etc. Once proud nation will soon end up as a third world country if the politicians don't get their act together.
0
sfjp330
IowanJun. 11, 2012 - 11:18AM JST Nobody steals corn cobs in Iowa: 20 cents each or 2$ for 12. It's easier just to buy it.
If they sell corn for ten times more in Japan, maybe they should freeze these choice corns from Iowa and ship it to Japan. Even with the higher transportation cost, it will still be profitable. Midwest has some of the best corns in the world.
0
Jonathan Prin
Same in France : just take your corn for free on side of roads by picking it up, no one will ever think you are robber because you can't sell them anyway...if Japan was not so ludicrous about food prices!
0
Iowan
Sweet corn is "corn on the cob" food, and cheep.
Seed corn is processed: chips, cereal, ethanol, high fructose syrup, and is expensive.
-1
basroil
200 yen per cob is a bit expensive. Even if he was talking about market value (which is not what he gets, and includes markup and transport), that's some expensive corn. They do need to open up their cereals and agriculture to US farmers, which will help both countries (US has plenty of corn, used for making alcohol for almost nothing, Japan has high food prices that can be brought down and help people have extra cash to spend (and get taxed))
0
NeoJamal
Exactly. we're going off on a tangent here. Landmines are the best answer.
0
canadianbento
This guys corn is way to expensive..
0
Jason Park
Is corn even in season this time of year? It isn't usually ready to pick until September.
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