With the release of this year's White Paper on Agriculture, amid growing concerns about a global food crisis due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, "strengthening food security" has been set as a major theme for the first time, and it is necessary to shift from a structure that relies on imports of agricultural products and other products.
In the "White Paper on Agriculture" approved by the government at the Cabinet meeting on the 26th, the number of related descriptions has been greatly increased, such as the establishment of a special page on "strengthening food security."
Among them, the international price of wheat reached a record high in March last year and continues to remain high, due to demand expanding in China and anxiety about supply caused by the invasion of Ukraine.
In addition, the import price of urea, which is a raw material for fertilizer, has temporarily reached a record high, and the price has fluctuated significantly.
The Japan relies on a limited number of countries to import agricultural products and fertilizers, with wheat imported from North America and Australia accounting for more than 3% of the total, and urea imports from Malaysia and China accounting for 99% of the total.
For this reason, the white paper emphasizes that domestic production should be expanded by shifting from a structure that relies excessively on imports of agricultural products and other products.
In addition to striving to stabilize the quality of domestically produced wheat and soybeans and establish a supply system, it is important to strengthen relationships with importing countries and diversify suppliers.