XIII Measures and Challenges Concerning Sweetpotatoes in Japan
1. Measures to encourage production
(1) Comprehensive project for efficient agricultural production
This project aims to support and expand domestic agricultural production under the Food, Agriculture, and Rural Area Basic Law. To promote and expand the role agriculture plays in the seasonal cycles of nature, policy for each crop is being implemented concerning its production and marketing. Sweetpotato is part of the upland farming policy which involves the following projects:
1) Production Systemization Policy
Focusing not merely on the production side, but tying production
policy into marketing policy.
2) Policy to Coordinate with Consumer Needs
Better coordinating the planting of new varieties and production of
new products to meet the needs of consumers.
3) Policy to Introduce New Technology and Varieties
Introducing new technologies and new varieties to stimulate market
demand.
4) Policy to Improve Infrastructure
To better carry out the above policies for improvement of agriculture
production, develop joint use facilities, set up joint use of
agricultural machinery, and consolidate small agricultural
holdings.
(2) Measures for field crops covered under the Uruguay Round
These measures were implemented as a project of the Central Fruit
Production and Shipping Stabilization Fund Association for the 6
years from 1995 to 2000, to minimize the impact of the Uruguay
Round's Agreement on Agriculture on domestic agricultural production.
The project includes the following measures for demand expansion and
use conversion:
1) Fact-finding surveys on distribution and consumption, events and P.R. activities to encourage consumption of local specialties, tasting and sales promotions for new types of foods using local specialties, and other activities to increase consumption of high-quality domestic products.
2) Targeting sweetpotatoes for starch-related products, urgent multiplication of varieties which are necessary for conversion into food processing and other uses, improvement of facilities and machines such as mulchers, ridgers and harvesters, and introduction of materials are carried out to promote planned production according to demand by use.
(1) Macro demand for sweetpotatoes is rising. Consumption per capita has been increasing, because of the sweetpotato's reputation as a safe, natural food and because of the healthy image of dietary fiber and vitamins among younger generations in recent years.
(2) Looking at trends in demand by use, however, demand for sweetpotatoes for starch-related products may have decreased. Meanwhile, in the processed-foods sector, large quantities of dried sweetpotatoes have been imported from China. Imports of frozen cooked sweetpotatoes such as the daigakuimo have also increased notably since the great damage from cold summer in 1993, when domestic supplies became insufficient. On the production side, meanwhile, both planted area and production have decreased under influence from aging in the farm sector.
(3) Under these circumstances, demand creation is important to maintain and expand domestic production, by responding appropriately to consumer and wholesale needs. Toward this end, greater mechanization of agricultural operations is essential. Compared to potato farming, where mechanization and integral operation systems are well established, sweetpotato farming lacks mechanization at two stages: sprout transplantation and harvest. Consequently, sweetpotatoes take much more effort to raise.
(4) For harvesting, a general-purpose harvester for multiple sweetpotato varieties (including those for processed foods) was released commercially in fiscal 1997. Also, small harvesters that an operator can drive are now available and have become increasingly popular. However, in terms of sprout transplantation, transplanters providing practical performance have yet to be developed.
Looking ahead, efforts to achieve labor savings through direct planting should be directed at sweetpotatoes for starch-related products and for certain processed foods.
(5) Demand creation is extremely important. Toward this end, the following measures should be implemented as soon as possible:
* Implement cost savings and streamlining at the stages of production, distribution and processing.
* Improve and disseminate leading varieties for fresh consumption as well as varieties with high processing suitability.
* Improve demand from the food processing sector through the development of new products and uses.
* Respond to greater health awareness among consumers by initiating organic cultivation of sweetpotatoes for fresh consumption.
(6) Use of sweetpotatoes for processed foods now accounts for only 9% of domestic production vs. 15-16% for conventional potatoes. While their sweetness makes utilization difficult, new uses for sweetpotatoes must be developed. Particular emphasis should be placed on development of applications involving pigment, juice material and flour, all of which are being studied. New food concepts that make use of these ingredients must be developed as well.
(7) Finally, it is absolutely necessary to ensure a smooth supply of top-quality seeds and sprouts for new varieties and to reduce distribution costs. Distribution is a major factor in sweetpotato costs, due to the potato's weight, and storage cost is high to ensure a year-round supply of sweetpotatoes. Clearly, reducing distribution costs is a major challenge. Intensive structural reform will be needed at each stage of production, distribution and consumption if domestic production is to be maintained.