Soaring food prices spark debate on agriculture in Japan

Thursday 15th May, 06:11 AM JST

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13 Comments

SushiSake3 at 09:03 AM JST - 15th May

Write it down - there will be Government-run farms within 10 years in Japan, probably sooner.

This country has HEAPS of arable land, but the government has been paying farmers NOT to grow on it in order to maintain rice prices.

The solution is a no-brainer! - considering the average age of Japanese farmers is about 110 and hardly any of their sons want to take over the farm, just initiate a NEET draft and get the NEETs out of Tokyo and other big cities and set them up in Government-run farms doing possibly the most productive thing they have ever done nad may ever do - grow food.

It's a total win-win: this idea would slash unemployment, teach NEETs something useful, reduce the effect felt in Japan of rising food prices, AND reduce Japan's sorry 39% food self-sufficiency level!
tkoind2 at 09:22 AM JST - 15th May

There is a great opportunity here. The government should set up an agriculture empowerment program to provide training to interested people who would then have access to subsidized land grants to take on land and develop it for agriculture. For older families no longer able to work property, they could be offered partnership programs to bring in people who can work the property and share in the revenue it generates. Like a more advanced tenant farmer situation but with partners being able to have a much stronger stake.

This keeps farms going, encourages new ones and would provide much needed partners and income for poor rurual aged families.

It would be a great chance for urban workers who wish to escape their current work lives to take on something like this if they can pass a combination of subsidized training, internship and transition support.

Neets and others could be offered perks for income, education etc... for working on these farms during key seasons. And you could even offer educational grants to allow young people to have free education if they go into agriculture or are willing to spend a certain amount of time working in agricultural communities.

Lots of opportunity here. Should be considered for a lot of country side industries with aging and declining work forces.
GG2141 at 11:27 AM JST - 15th May

Opportunity vs. Japanese bureaucrats

Sadly the same people responsible for the current butter shortage we are experiencing are not going to do much of anything.
LFRAgain at 12:37 PM JST - 15th May

And the problem with all the above suggestions is one that's been plaguing industrialized economies since they started really gaining momentum: People don't want to farm anymore.

Let's be realistic: It's tough work, and even if the government offered up heaps of subsidies and starter money for people who might want to farm, there still wouldn't be any way to remove the stigma of isolation and back-breaking labor that is often associated with large scale farming, and the number of people volunteering to farm wouldn’t come even close to making up for the shortfall. Don’t know what the solution is, but putting more people on farms is far easier said than done.
Patrick Smash at 01:13 PM JST - 15th May

Isn't there a tax on imported rice of around 400%? No wonder supply and demand drags prices up so quickly these days.
LFRAgain at 01:22 PM JST - 15th May

The system Japan has in place for protecting its local agriculture is mind-boggling. It's why apples cost 200-400 yen ($2-$4) per. It's why watermelons sell for $30 when they're in season. It's why rice costs anywhere from 400-1000 yen per kilogram. It's completely nuts. In the meantime, as SushiSake pointed out, farmers are paid to let their fields lie fallow.
JeromeInJapan at 02:37 PM JST - 15th May

Food is the new oil huh guys... My family has worked the field of agriculture for many years and you guys are right on! There is plenty that can be done! Yeah they do need goverment support to start with and they can even take a share if they want. Land foods and water foods should never run out. Breading is done for a reason.
some14some at 03:51 PM JST - 15th May

This sense of urgency is in direct response to devastating earthquake in China. Do all you can but pls dont expect substantial food supply from China this year.
smithinjapan at 06:37 PM JST - 15th May

They could also stop unnecessary highway construction over agricultural areas, but that's just a thought.
apecNetworks at 06:45 PM JST - 15th May

I have looked into this about Japan's 40% food self sufficiency. The operative terms: hydroponics, floating bio-platforms. Costs are lining up economically.
proxy at 07:18 PM JST - 15th May

The government has almost ruined the ag industry in Japan, less government involvement is the answer. Just looking around down here in Fukuoka, I can easily see with my own eyes that there is at least three times as much land being used for barley this year. If the government was not wasting my tax money on subsidizing rice production there all the farmers in Kyushu would double or even triple crop to support themselves instead of the few that harvest a spring barley crop. The free market and prices supported by supply and demand have encouraged some farmers to increase barley plantings this year. More market discipline equals more free markets, more freedom and more production.
VOR at 09:11 PM JST - 15th May

in order for japanese consumers to enjoy lower food prices, Japan needs to open its markets to foreign competition. The main reason why J-consumers get ripped off all day, every day, is they consume in a society run by politicians paid off by domestic industry big shots. Increasing domestic agriculture yields more than likely end up restricting the market even further.
GrouchyGaijin at 09:28 PM JST - 15th May

In storage today in Japan is a huge volume of imported rice, doing nothing. Gazillions of tons, which people could be eating and previous Japanese governments were forced to import by pressure from overseas. Can we say the word "sin" anyone?