Unstable Weather Causes Sharp Drop in Japan's Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio

Japan's food self-sufficiency ratio in FY 2006 was 39 percent on a calorie basis, a one percent decrease from the previous year, according to a "food balance sheet" released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on August 10, 2007. It marked the first time the ratio fell below 40 % since a drastic fall in rice production in 1993, thirteen years ago.

The food self-sufficiency ratio index shows the ratio between the entire domestic food supply and the total national demand for food. A decrease in agricultural production due to unstable weather conditions was the main reason for the reduced ratio in FY 2006.

A lack of sunlight in June and high temperatures accompanied by excessive rains in summer particularly affected sugar production, down 8 % (from 890,000 to 820,000 tons) from FY 2005. Production of fruit and potatoes also dropped. Other causes for the decreased the self-sufficiency ratio included a further decline in annual per capita rice consumption, down to 61.0 from 61.4 kilograms in FY 2005, and a poorer rice harvest than usual.

The Ministry has set a goal of increasing the food self-efficiency ratio to 45 % by FY 2015 by encouraging increased domestic consumption of rice and domestic production of feed grains that are now imported.

http://www.maff.go.jp/eindex.html
- Japan's Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio Unchanged at 40% for 8 Years (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1583-e

Posted: 2007/12/19 02:47:45 PM
Japanese version