Japan’s agriculture ministry says the country’s food self-sufficiency rate remains far from the government target.
The ratio measured by calorie intake for the fiscal year ended in March was unchanged at 38 percent for the third-straight year. That’s below the government target of 45 percent by fiscal 2030.
Wheat production in Hokkaido rose and imports of food oils dropped. But domestic sugar production fell due to a sugar beet disease.
Ministry officials say Japan needs to work out how to replace imports of wheat and soy beans with domestic production.
The self-sufficiency rate on a production-value basis rose 3 points to 61 percent from the previous year, due mainly to lower prices of grain imports.