Volunteers pick pear blossoms in Chiba as pollen cannot be imported due to fire blight. A disease called "fire blight" that affects pear trees and other plants has occurred in China.
In Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, where pears are a specialty, has decided to collect their own pollen. Volunteers were recruited by the city due to the serious labor shortage at farms, and over 300 people applied from inside and outside the prefecture. A female volunteer in her 50s said, ``I hope to grow large, sweet, and juicy pears.''