Do You Know Anything About Agriculture in Fukushima? – Fukushima Agricultural Technology Centre: The Pride of Fukushima!
Reporting in August 2022
All agricultural products from Fukushima are high quality!
Fukushima Agricultural Technology Centre, located in Hiwada, Koriyama City Fukushima Prefecture, is taking a very important part in the agriculture of Fukushima.
Do you know that it is actually available to everyone, not just farmers?
We went there with a model and learned about Fukushima’s agriculture!
Amateur Model: Yurie Suzuki (Lives in Otama Village)
My family’s business is farming, so I have been to the Fukushima Agricultural Technology Centre several times to help my father.
Our products are GAP (Good Agricultural Practice) and Organic-JAS (Japan Agricultural Standard) certified, and we are also cultivating Fukuwarai rice. Eating soba (buckwheat noodles) my father made at a soba making event at the centre is a good memory for me.
Fukushima Agricultural Technology Centre, Disseminating the Appeal of Agriculture
The Fukushima Agricultural Technology Centre, established in 2006, not only conducts agriculture-related research and development, and trains engineers, but also engages in activities to familiarize the general public with agriculture. The exhibition hall, library, and outdoor display farm can be visited without reservations. (*Reservations for agriculture-related visits must be made at least 10 days in advance.)
Visitors can participate in events and lectures planned by the centre, and purchase freshly harvested vegetables and fruits from the centre’s farm at the store. (*Some days there will be no sales depending on the schedule of the agricultural experiments.)
▲In the exhibition room, panels summarizing technological research on agriculture and results related to smart farming using drones and robots are on display!
Research results and useful information for farmers are disseminated in the “Fukushima Agricultural Technology Centre News.”
▲Visitors can borrow up to five books about agriculture from the centre’s library for two weeks.
▲The main exhibition building has exhibition panels for 10-to-12-year-old children. It is a great place for families because, together with the display farm, children can freely walk around there.
What Monitoring Is Done to Ensure the Safety of Food from Fukushima?
The Centre conducts radiation monitoring of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products shipped and sold from Fukushima Prefecture to ensure the safety of the food we eat on a daily basis.
From 2011, the year of the earthquake, to the end of July 2022, over 260,000 samples of prefectural agricultural, forestry, and fishery products have been inspected. The category of food to be inspected is determined by the day of the week. After the food is hand chopped with a knife, it is packed in an inspection container and analyzed with a germanium semiconductor detector.
The results can be viewed by anyone on the website.
Fukushima Prefecture monitoring information on agricultural, forestry, marine products and processed foods
https://fukumegu.org/ok/contentsV2/
Monitoring Trivia
■Japan’s standards for radioactive cesium concentrations for general foods are 10 times stricter than the Codex Alimentarius, the international standard for food! It is safe to eat because it undergoes rigorous testing before being distributed.
■Even in 2011, when the earthquake occurred, the percentage of samples that exceeded the standard was about 3%. The average percentage for the last five years is 0.03%. Among our properly produced and managed rice, vegetables, fruits, livestock products, wild vegetables, and mushrooms, none have exceeded the standard since 2015!
■43 of the 55 countries and regions that restricted imports from Fukushima after the earthquake, have now eliminated restrictions. Exports of Fukushima products, which dropped 90% after the earthquake, have been making a V-shaped recovery.
That Original Fukushima Variety Was Born Here!
An original variety is said to take more than 10 years to make its debut. We believe you would purchase rice and fruits by their name, but not pay much attention to the varieties of flowers and vegetables. Let’s take this opportunity to focus on these at the store!
Fukuwarai, the Famous Brand of Fukushima Rice!
The rice was bred with an emphasis on character in terms of taste, aroma, and stickiness. This high-grade rice is grown by chosen farmers and carefully selected during inspection prior to shipment. Its soft and sticky texture and sweetness bring smiles and happiness to those who eat it.
Yuyake Berry, a New Variety of Sweet and Large Strawberry
The Yuyake Berry is delicious at any harvest time of the year. We put out a call for names this spring, and it was revealed in the fall!
What, Is This a Gentian Too? Japanese Gentian and Western Lisianthus
▲Lisianthus is called “Turkish lisianthus” in Japan because the shape of the buds resembles the Turkish turban. In the language of flowers it is called “graceful.”
Fresh flowers of lisianthus are actively produced in Aizu, Koriyama, and the northern part of the prefecture. Since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, efforts have been made to produce flowers in Hamadori (eastern part of Fukushima prefecture) as the symbol of recovery. They can be appreciated from early summer to late fall, and come in a variety of colors such as purple, white, pink, blue, and green. There is a wide variety of flower shapes, from single to double flowers. Both gentian, which will be introduced later on this article as Amanogawa (Milky Way), and lisianthus are actually members of the gentian family (native to North America).
The gorgeousness and longevity of the lisianthus have earned a reputation, and it is now a popular and major product in flower stores. Lisianthus from Fukushima Prefecture also became famous when they were used in the Victory Bouquet for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, so you have probably seen them at least once.
The varieties are easy to maintain in greenhouse cultivation, and the centre helps those who want to try flower production by providing advice on how to cultivate them. That’s really reassuring.
▲Photographed at the time of the review board. They are planted at the same time and researched in various ways.
▲Amanogawa – Japanese Gentian Blooming in September.
This is the centre’s first high-tech variety that produces seedlings by culture multiplication. The white spots scattered in the center of the slightly pale bluish purple petals remind visitors of a starry sky, hence the name Amanogawa (Milky Way).
Assistance in reporting: Fukushima Agricultural Technology Centre
116 Shimo-Nakamichi Takakura Hiwada-machi Koriyama City Fukushima Prefecture
TEL 024-958-1700
Opening hours: 9:00-16:30 *Open on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays
Closed: New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day *Open laboratories are open only on weekdays
Free admission
Parking available
https://www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp/sec/37200a