Japanese quake disrupts ag industry
The series of temblors since April 14 damaged packing facilities, as well as main traffic networks, causing a breakdown in shipments of fruits and vegetables, a prefectural official said April 18.
The agricultural industry of Kumamoto Prefecture was ranked No. 5 nationally in terms of monetary agricultural production for 2013. The prefecture is Japan’s top producer of tomatoes, watermelon, Chinese citron and “igusa” straw, which is used to make tatami.
Kumamoto’s ratio of farming to gross prefectural product is 2.9 percent, much higher than the national average of 1.0 percent.
Prefectural authorities tallied damages reported as of 4 p.m. on April 18. The report includes 12 cases of damage to equipment found at facilities that size and package the harvests of fruits and vegetables; 36 cases of damage to greenhouses, including damage to their foundations.
According to the Kyushu Regional Agricultural Administration Office, the amount of trade at Kumamoto’s regional wholesale market, the largest wholesale market in the prefecture, declined more than 10 percent on April 18.
In the Aso region, which boasts a prominent asparagus farming industry, some facilities for sizing and packaging the asparagus harvest were knocked out of action, resulting in some farmers being forced to dispose of their harvested asparagus.
Due to the closures of highways and other thoroughfares due to earthquake damage, the delay or shutdown of shipments of Kumamoto produce to larger markets in the Kanto region around Tokyo, and the Kansai region around Osaka, have many distributors concerned.
Osaka Chuo Seika Ltd., a major wholesale distributor of fresh produce in the Kansai region, said the amount of tomatoes produced from Kumamoto Prefecture has declined by 20 percent since the quakes.
Source: asahi.com