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Farmers resume planting rice near crippled Fukushima site

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How will this rice be labled?

20 ( +21 / -1 )

The penultimate sentence "The farmers are using fertilizer containing potassium to help curb radioactive cesium absorption by rice plants" isn't encouraging at all.

I think I'll let my wife continue to buy rice from elsewhere ...

21 ( +23 / -2 )

@avenger: probably "blended rice". Also convenience store and supermarket bentos, onigiri, etc. It's all good.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

The penultimate sentence...isn't encouraging at all.

Oh yeah? How about the one after that?

I think I'll let my wife continue to buy rice from elsewhere

How nice of you.

-13 ( +7 / -20 )

As long as it is checked and labelled I see no problem with it. Those who are paranoid do not need to buy it.

-15 ( +3 / -18 )

@Cad you are probably so close to the truth. All rice from there will probably sell at a discount and will end up in bento or oniguri in shelves in the conbini stores where the unaware public will consume.

It's bad enough there are enough toxins on small levels without adding radiated food to the list. Little bit here and there adds up to a lot in one spot (you the people)

7 ( +8 / -1 )

It is impossible in this short time to have decontaminated the soil in the rice paddies or fields as it in real terms will take hundreds of years for it to happen . Please Label this Rice as not Fit for human or animal consumption .No amount of potassium as a fertiliser will reduce the radioactive in the rice grown in this area for a very long time, it will cause cancer in persons consuming it.

17 ( +17 / -0 )

Those who are paranoid do not need to buy it.

Here here.

end up in bento or oniguri in shelves in the conbini stores where the unaware public

There is a lot of rubbish on the shelves but this takes the cake.

Please Label this Rice as not Fit for human or animal consumption

WhY? Any riCe which exceEds thresholds Will noT make it to marKet.

-23 ( +2 / -25 )

Any riCe which exceEds thresholds Will noT make it to marKet.

Do you seriously believe that?

13 ( +14 / -1 )

As long as it is checked and labelled I see no problem with it. Those who are paranoid do not need to buy it.

Well yes, if it seems paranoid not to take an unnecessary chance that what you are eating might contain cesium, I guess you are right. However, the fact is if this rice is correctly labeled, then its chances of being sold are slim. However, all Japanese (nipponica) rice looks the same and therefore some of the more unscrupulous rice traders might well be tempted to mix it in with rice from other areas. There has already been at least one reported case of this happening with JA in Kobe. Of course, this rice could be transported throughout Japan.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

15 Km from the biggest ongoing N-Disaster known, let's grow food!. And people worry about labeling? Just a thought how about not growing and not selling it. I would be happier to pay them to retire then worry about eating this crap.

10 ( +14 / -4 )

Bet they are planting tainted seeds as well just to get rid of them, as surely they wouldn't plant anything that would cost them out of their own pockets.

That said, I'm sure passive smoking at izakayas takes more lives that a few microsieverts a year...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

This is just sad.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Do you seriously believe that?

Yes. And let's be sceptic and say they will mix it, misslabel it, and whatever else you can muster from your armchair, do you think you could eat every day the amount necessary to constitute a health concern?

Not safe enough to be able to live, but safe enough to grow food

Now why would that be. Hint: they are not one and the same. Note: the food will be tested for its safety later, regardless of your assumptions or declarations.

Me, me, me, me. (And by that I mean you.)

-27 ( +1 / -28 )

This is just sad.

Don't worry. That's just an emotion.

-21 ( +2 / -23 )

How will this rice be labled?

Kokusan (a home product)

10 ( +10 / -0 )

How will this rice be labled?

Genshi-hikari

4 ( +5 / -1 )

All planting of rice should be banned this close to Fukushima

14 ( +14 / -0 )

All rice from the paddies will be checked for radioactive contamination before being shipped, said Onami

Of course we believe you!

10 ( +11 / -1 )

desparate to show that things are back to normal such that all other nuke reactors are restarted....madness! When will politicians ever listen to scientists and when will politicians ever put people's concerns ahead of their egos and cheap political exploits

9 ( +9 / -0 )

My father-in-law grows rice 50km from the plant and no one in the family will eat it, except for him and the mother-in-law. The rest gets sold to JA.

You would have to be crazy to eat this rice.

17 ( +17 / -0 )

We have considerably decontaminated the rice paddies

Which means the paddies are still contaminated.

The farmers are using fertilizer containing potassium to help curb radioactive cesium absorption by rice plants.

Which means radioactive cesium (what is a safe amount for young children, by the way?) is still being absorbed by the rice plants and that indeed radioactive cesium is still in the ground.

All rice from the paddies will be checked for radioactive contamination before being shipped, said Onami.

Checked by whom? Themselves?

Why is this happening? Because of pity? Because these farmers just want to get back to their normal lives? Political power of Japanese farmers? I agree that the people affected by this disaster deserve all the pity in the world and, it seems, some are still continuing to live through terrible conditions, some having lost everything. But these farmers should at least have been adequately compensated economically through the huge amount of government funds allocated to the area (not to mention the huge amount of charitable donations made by people and companies from around the world). Should the farmers in contaminated areas have to accept that farming there is over for the foreseeable future?

13 ( +13 / -0 )

why not directly grow the rice inside the reactors ? its warm, its humid .. so maybe there it grows even faster.. what a crazy country

I already can suggest a label: "seniors choice" old ppl wont suffer from the radiation as much as young ppl

12 ( +12 / -0 )

Here is a thought, if you trust that this rice is in fact safe, then you eat it! However, no one in my family will touch it! You read the article right! They are using special fertilizer to help with the radiation! If you choose to be safe and not eat it that's of course your right. If you choose to trust the government and eat it then you choose to do it at your own risk. However, if you get sick don't complain about it to anyone here! It's your choice!!

7 ( +7 / -0 )

"harmful rumours" it's not rumours, seriously still dangerous stiuation is there. It's not responsibility for farmer and Fukushima people. There are victim. Goverment have to tell real information otherwise Japanese people have to migrate other country next 10 year.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I hope that this move is not farmed on lies. Sadly radiation does not forget, a half life will always leave a half life.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

And how, I wonder, have they been decontaminating the soil? As we have seen in other articles, the decontamination crew have been busy scrubbing walls, floors and roofs ...

And, if there's a water leak from the plant, there's a very high chance that some of the water actually seep into the ground.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

everyone should be mandated a geiger muller radiation tester in Japan.

but of course the truth will hurt.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The worst thing is that laws are so loose and often rely on self-restrict and such, that traders don't even have to brake a law to get contaminated rice to the consumers. As mentioned above, just use it for onigiri, rice crackers and other snacks, and the point of origin will be where the factory is. They could even use Koshi-hikari seedlings from Akita right now in Fukushima, than later ship the rice back to a factory in Akita and that's it, 100% Akita Koshi-hikari rice.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I can see the scandal now......Fukushima rice 'unknowingly labelled' as rice coming from Hokkaido and sold to the masses.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This country is getting more backwards by the day. How can any government allow this to happen? Oh wait, this is the same government that has been in utter denial over the whole situation since 3/11.

And yes they have our best interests at heart. After all, with an aging population, perhaps irradiating us will reduce the load on social services later.

Idiocy seems to be the only leadership that we have had recently.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Japan has fallow rice fields nearly everywhere due to manpower shortages in ageing and depopulating hamlets. There is no reason whatever to grow rice or anything else 15 km from the disaster whilst such a situation exists. The rice is being checked for radioactive contamination by producers' associations that have a financial interest in finding their products are within the levels Japan's government considers safe. The rice will be mixed or used in processed foods to avoid the necessity of labelling the site of origin. This has been done since 2011.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

There is no way that I would knowingly allow my family to eat rice from this region. Will I be afforded that right?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

It's probably easy for me to say, but if I were a farmer there is no way I could sleep at night wondering if some of my produce slipped detection and was poisoning anyone- kids especially. Like someone else said, I wouldn't mind paying a government levy on rice to compensate and relocate farmers in that area of Fukushima. I understand that farmers have worked in that area for their whole lives, but unfortunately detection flaws and loopholes are going to happen again.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This is truly outrageous. Serious question, is there an avenue to allow dissenting voices to be heard? For all the sound reasons already noted by others above, this should not be allowed to happen. It undermines the trust in the entire food system. This is supposedly a democratic society and the majority needs to be heard. Where and how can I have my opinion noted?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I would have no problems if they sold ALL that rice as a product of that exact area -- CLEARLY labeled with the amount of radioactive cesium that will be ingested upon consumption of the rice. Then at least the consumer would have a choice (and I bet I know how few would choose to eat it!). But of course that will never happen. As is so often the case in Japan, (and, to be fair, in many countries worldwide), economics trumps human life and welfare.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

they never learn their lesson

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

wow, it's people like Daijoboots that screw the world over little by little.... don't worry no immediate health risk....

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Japan is too small a country to utilize nuclear reactors considering our present safeguard technology that is in place. Fossil fuels (with greenhouse gas filtration to extract emissions) would be safer as well as use of a plethora of alternative power sources that can be integrated into the overall grid. Nuclear reactors might give the most bang-for-the-buck but obviously they are also the most dangerous to boot.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

While I feel sorry for what happened to them, I find it extremely selfish and borderline criminal of them to be poisoning the rest of the country. The worst part is that this produce will more than likely find it's way into the so called mixed bags of rice.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This country is no more that Japan as people thought before, the one took world most strict standard to check any food from it's source, domestic or overseas, and producing procedure. Pitiful downward tendency for no matter any reason~

2 ( +3 / -1 )

All rice from the paddies will be checked for radioactive contamination before being shipped,

Checked by whom? And, how can the consumer be sure that 'ALL' the rice will be checked? I also have to ask, what will become of the rice and the farmers in the unlikely event that the produce is deemed unfit for consumption? Is TEPCO gonna buy the rice and compensate the farmers with money they don't have?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I have sincere doubts that this rice will be labelled as coming from where it does. While I feel sorry for the farmers, they should not be allowed to do what they are doing unless it is merely for personal consumption and not going to be put on the market.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

No problem! Good for you! go ahead and grow your rice if you want to!

Just label the bags with EXACTLY where it has come from, and the results of your independent radiation tests on ALL bags - along with the name of the company conducting them - with an additional note on the bags that WERENT tested to say they havent been checked - and let the public decide whether they want to buy it or not. That way, people like Daijoboots absolutely have a choice, but then so does everyone else.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I think this will hurt the entire Japanese rice industry. I understand these farmers need to make a living, but this shouldn't be permitted.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

In September, I will start buying CALROSE or Australia-KOSHI-HIKARI.

I will no longer buy mixed-origin rice although cheaper by about 200yen per 5-Kg package.

If there is no available Calrose or Australia Koshi-Hikari, I will buy HOKKAIDO NANATSUBOSHI or KIRARA. Hokkaido rice is the farthest rice variety source sold in Tokyo area. It is very rare that Hiroshima/Kyushu/Shikoku rice are sold in Tokyo Areas.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Paulownia: 桐 -A very nice light-weight soft white wood historically used to box knives.

Is a very fast growing tree and the wood would trap these radioactive particles. Particles that are trapped could be removed from the wood and the other parts of the wood used.

http://www.eoearth.org/article/Environmental_effects_of_the_Chernobyl_accident

0 ( +0 / -0 )

http://fastestgrowingtrees.com/263627936_o.jpg (In a Paulownia forest they will grow taller and straighter)

http://www.paulowniatrees.com.au/Photo.htm (Paulownia forest Australia)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Back on topic please. The subject is rice.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Actually, there are three isotopes of concern. First, the "hottest" was Iodine (I131) and it decayed out within a year (48 half lives). The Cesium isotopes mimic potassium and they are all soluble in water. If the paddies have been flooded and drained a number of times, most of it should be gone by now. Then, there is #3: I grew up during the 40s and 50s with Strontium 90 (Sr90) and its 20 year half life beamed into my brain. This was the stuff they told me could get into the milk supply and thus into the bones of those who drank it. Scary story. Strontium is a Group II element located between Ca and Ra which tends to form stable carbonates and thus resist leaching. Why hasn't this isotope been discussed?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

These farmers that kick up this radioactive dust (from tilling) are in the most danger ==> typically the dust gets into the lungs and will go into the lymph system and breast tissue of women (lymph and breast cancer). ==> you need to be using a volatile organic type of face air filter (auto paint sprayer type) to trap these smaller particles.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I hope Fukushima revival eagerly. But I won't consume the rice that will be shipped to markets. I am sorry, but it's reality.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

O........M...........F.............G!

I cannot believe this is happening the damage this will do to Fukushima is IMENSE!

Just pay the farmers to NOT FARM, offer them new locales to re-start.

Again allowing this planting is beyond the pale

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Sorry, but I won't eat rice grown in Japan, particularly when it is mixed. I don't blame countries for banning food imports from Japan when this kind of stuff is going on.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Where else is Yoshinoya gonna get cheap rice from?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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