A weekly update of news from the Japanese
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Public Relations Office, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries
Kasumigaseki 1-2-1,Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo 100-8950
Tel:81-3-3591-2874
Fax:81-3-3501-3720
E-mail:koho_kaigai@nm.maff.go.jp
Editor.Hayato Iwamoto
On November 5, the Food Agency invited the third tender of fiscal 1999 for foreign rice under the simultaneous buy-and-sell (SBS) method, whereby importers and wholesalers offer simultaneous tenders for the selling and buying prices of each variety of rice. According to a report published by the Food Agency, tenders were submitted for 94,065 tons of foreign-grown whole rice (husked and milled) for the general quota, of which it accepted 24,420 tons, and for 21,481 tons of non-glutinous broken milled rice, of which it accepted 5,580 tons.
Of the total amount of foreign rice accepted, 15,395 tons came from the People's Republic of China, 12,255 tons from the United States, 1,501 tons from Australia, 508 tons from Thailand, 306 tons from Egypt, 18 tons from Vietnam and 17 tons from Italy.
For further information, please contact the Trade Operation Division of the Food Agency at (03) 3501-3813.
Figures for Gross Agricultural Output and Agricultural Income Produced for 1998 ReleasedOn October 29, the Statistics and Information Department released a report on Japan's 1998 Gross Agricultural Output (GAO) and Agricultural Income Produced (AIP). According to the report, the 1998 GAO totaled ￥9,944.1 billion, a 0.3% increase from the previous year, reflecting an increase in output of vegetables, fruit, and potatoes and sweet potatoes, which offset a decline in output of rice, industrial crops, broilers, and pigs and hogs. The AIP was \4,051.1 billion, up 2.2%, thanks not only to the increase in GAO, but also to an increase in income earned on agricultural output.
Rice output amounted to \2.544.5 billion, a decrease of 8.4%, owing to an increase in rice allotted to the set-aside program and a harvest that was slightly worse than usual. Output of wheat and barley declined 9.3%, to \94.9 billion, a consequence of a poor harvest. Livestock output was \2,430.8 billion, down 5.7%, reflecting lower producer's prices for beef and cattle, pigs and hogs, and broilers, as well as reduced production of cow's milk and broilers. Industrial crop output fell 8.8%, to \343.6 billion, owing not only to decreased production of tobacco and green tea, but also lower producer's prices for green tea, sugar cane and sugar beet.
In contrast, output of vegetables and fruit rose 13.3%, to \2,615.2 billion, and 11.6%, to \898.9 billion, respectively, thanks to a sharp increase in producer's prices, which countered a decline in production due to unfavorable weather conditions. Higher producer's prices also led to a 23.5% in output of potatoes and sweet potatoes, to \272.7 billion. Output of flowers totaled \464.1 billion, up 1.2%.
For further information, please contact the Management Statistics Division of the Statistics and Information Department at (03) 3591-9779.
Third International Workshop on Model Forests for Field-Level Application of Stable Forest Management HeldFrom October 19 through 23, the Forestry Agency and the Gunma prefectural government cohosted the Third International Workshop on Model Forests for Field-Level Application of Sustainable Forest Management (the Gunma Workshop), with the technical cooperation of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the International Model Forest Network (IMFN).
Workshop Series on Model Forests
Mission
In 1996, the Forestry Agency committed itself to host a series of four workshops on model forests to answer the critical question in promoting sustainable forest management on a global scale: "How can broad international policies be translated into practical application?" Through this initiative, the Forestry Agency aimed to demonstrate the practical application of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF) Proposals for Action and contribute to international discussions, including the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF). This was the third workshop in the series following workshops held in Tokyo in 1998 and Mie earlier this year. The final workshop is scheduled to be held in Japan in late 2000.
What are model forests?
The term "model forest" refers to a process or a platform for practicing sustainable forest management at the field level. A model forest project must involve all stakeholders in the forest management unit and at the same time establish a network to share valuable information on model forest development either within the unit or with other model forests. At the core of each model forest is a partnership of people who collaborate to achieve a common objective, namely sustainable forest management within the unique social, economic and ecological conditions in their forest area. Because the model forest concept is still new to Japan and other Asian countries, the Forestry Agency's workshop series is helping to establish a common understanding and platform for pursuing sustainable forest development in this region.
The Gunma Workshop
Objectives
The Forestry Agency has set four specific objectives for the workshop series:
･ Facilitate debate and the exchange of views on the role of model forests in achieving sustainable forest management
･ Propose practical options for effectively promoting model forest projects
･ Enhance international cooperation in the context of model forest projects
･ Develop and propose ways of utilizing the results of model forest projects to improve overall land-use policy planning processes in each country.
Through working groups and plenary discussions, participants in the Gunma Workshop collaborated in an effort to achieve the second and third objectives, focusing particularly on identifying and engaging stakeholders, promoting partnership between the public and private sectors, and sharing information on and experiences with sustainable forest management through effective networking.
Activities
The Gunma Workshop was held in the newly opened Gunma prefectural government building in the city of Maebashi. Approximately 150 participants registered, including about 40 individuals from 16 other countries, mainly in Asia, and representatives of three international organizations (the FAO, IMFN and the International Tropical Timber Organization) and three international nongovernmental organizations. To ensure a productive discussion, participants made a two-day case study tour to either Kawaba or Katashina village in Gunma. Visitors to Kawaba learned about the village's sister city partnership with Setagaya Ward in Tokyo, which gives people from Setagaya the opportunity to participate in forest management in Kawaba. In Katashina, visitors observed volunteer participation by downstream residents in forest management efforts in national and corporation-owned forests. In addition to the field tour, case studies from Russia, Nepal, Pakistan and the Philippines provided participants with a basis for discussion.
Outcome
As a result of working group discussions, participants concluded that the terms "stakeholder" and "partnership" were subject to a broad range of interpretations. Without exception, however, they agreed that a defining feature of a stakeholder was an expressed interest in and commitment to achieving sustainable forest management in his or her region. To establish successful partnerships between the public and private sectors in support of sustainable forest management, five prerequisites were identified: mutual benefits; a shared vision of partnership goals and the roles of partners; the commitment of all partners; an appropriate forest area size; and the existence of an enabling legal and institutional framework. Participants recognized the importance of sharing information and experience, as well as providing feedback on problems in different countries, and acknowledged that country-specific networks were essential and that developing countries may need financial assistance in establishing such networks.
With the final workshop of the series in 2000, the Forestry Agency will conclude a project that it hopes will contribute to sustainable forest management at both the national and international levels.
For further information, please contact the International Forestry Cooperation Office, Planning Division of the Forestry Agency, at (03) 3591-8449.
Flower bulbs are subject to post-entry quarantine in government fields and designated private fields after they are imported into Japan to prevent the introduction of quarantine pests, such as viral diseases, into Japan, and the spread of such pests to domestic crops.
As a result of bilateral technical discussions, Japanese plant quarantine authorities concluded recently that an alternative post-quarantine measure for lily and tulip bulbs imported from New Zealand would be effective to prevent the introduction of quarantine pests on the condition that bulbs underwent field inspections by New Zealand plant quarantine authorities and on-site field inspections by Japanese authorities. As a consequence, field inspection in New Zealand has been applied as an alternative to post-entry quarantine for New Zealand lily bulbs since August 6 and New Zealand tulip bulbs since October 26.
For further information, please contact the Plant Protection Division of the Agricultural Production Bureau at (03) 3501-3964 or by fax at (03) 3591-6640.
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