Diversification of export destinations to reduce risks: 5 trillion yen target to be maintained Interview with Mr. Miyashita, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and new cabinet ministers

Good morning. This morning, an article on export targets

Ichiro Miyashita, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, answers interviews from the media at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries on the afternoon of September 15.

According to Jiji Press on September 16, in an interview with Jiji Press and other media on September 15, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Ichiro Miyashita announced his plan to reduce risks by diversifying export destinations in response to the issue of China’s total suspension of imports of Japanese marine products. 　He will maintain the goal of expanding exports of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products and foodstuffs (1.4 trillion yen in 2022) to 2 trillion yen in 2013 and 5 trillion yen in 2013. The main points of exchange were as follows 　-Risk of dependence on specific countries is increasing for both imports and exports. 　The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has led to price hikes and shortages of fertilizers and feeds, and it has become clear that procurement sources have become unbalanced. It is important to reduce risks from the perspective of economic security. Ensure stable imports of food and production materials.

-Will the government’s export targets be maintained? 　We will pursue the target. We have also come to understand that the bias in scallop exports toward China is a risk. We will take this opportunity to diversify our export destinations. We will find and promote markets where we can most effectively sell Japan’s high-quality foodstuffs.

-The domestic production base is weakening. 　In agriculture, in particular, there is a need for a major transformation of the system that was created when the population grew, but we are lagging behind. Considering the supply and demand of food in Japan, there is still not enough farmland. We must change our thinking to how to make the most of farmland with fewer people. We are at a turning point in making agriculture a growth industry.

How can we promote the mid-mountainous regions? 　The key to overcoming population decline is to increase human interaction. The creation of farmer-owned restaurants and farmer-owned home-stays would bring economic benefits to the mountainous regions. It is important to make the mid-mountainous regions more attractive, to correct the concentration of people in Tokyo, and to energize them from various angles.

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