Japan: Food exports plunged due to nuclear crisis

The ongoing crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has affected the exports of farm and marine products from eastern Japan. According to the estimates of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, 44 countries and territories either ban the import of food items produced in Japan, or demand that they be inspected when imported, even though they are regarded safe and marketed domestically. While the government had aimed to reach 1 trillion yen of agricultural and marine exports, this goal has been hampered by regulations that could be based on overblown fears. On Thursday, high-grade apples in the first auction of the year at a fruit and vegetable market in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, sold at prices about 1.6 times higher than the previous year, partly due to short supply. Farmers and others were greatly relieved by the prices of almost all varieties, which were higher than those of last year.

The prefecture is the nation's largest apple producer and relies on exports, but its exports were hit hard last year by the nuclear crisis at Fukushima No. 1 power plant. In May, apple shipments to Taiwan, the largest export destination for the prefecture, dropped to zero. Prefectural officials invited business operators and news reporters from Taiwan as part of large-scale efforts to stress the produce's safety. Exports resumed, with apple shipments reaching 1,809 tons in November, almost the same amount as the previous year. Shizuo Kasai, a director of Hiroka Hirosaki Chuo Seika Co., which operates the wholesale market, said domestic food is tasty and always sells well. "We want to strengthen exports, too," he said. In December, Aomori Gov. Shingo Mimura made his third visit to Taiwan since March 11 in an effort to boost apple exports.

Source: yomiuri.co.jp