September 15, 2006

Japan's beef and hog production values up, poultry down

Japan's beef cattle production value rose 7.6 percent while that for hog production rose 12.2 percent during fiscal 2004, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) said.

The increase was partly attributable to the US beef ban, the MAFF said.

MAFF released its preliminary figures for agriculture and food related industries for fiscal 2004 last week. Livestock production, which accounts for a-third of overall agricultural production, rose 4.5 percent in 2004 compared to 2003.

The increase in beef production value was largely due to higher beef prices after Japan's government banned US beef.

Higher values for hog production was due to higher pork prices as more people replaced beef with pork.

Meanwhile, Japan's chicken production was down by 3.6 percent, the second year it has declined.