March 19, 2010

Japan aims for 50% self sufficiency by 2020

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) is planning to achieve 50% food self sufficiency by 2020 under a New Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas.

The plan is scheduled to be finalised during the 2009 Japanese fiscal year, ending on the 31 March 2010, and will form the foundation for Japanese agricultural policies for the next five years. Japan's current food self sufficiency rate is 41% (calorie-based).

In order to achieve the 50% target, MAFF will aim to increase production of soy beans, rice, wheat and feed crop, as well as re-enforcing the food safety system and improving producer support measures, according to information uploaded on the MAFF website.

For beef, MAFF expects no change to current domestic beef production volumes, but a slight increase in beef consumption per capita to 5.8kg per person (boneless equivalent) by 2020, up 0.1kg from the current level.

Meanwhile, the US is pressing Japan to throw open its lucrative markets to foreign farm products, as US lawmakers demanded an end to curbs on American beef.

According to agriculture department's figures, Japan is the third largest market for US exports, with sales last year of US$11 billion.

But the two countries have frequently sparred over measures protecting sensitive domestic agricultural markets.

Japan banned US beef in December 2003 after the brain-wasting cattle disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, was found in a US herd.