A disease called ``fire blight'' that affects pear trees and other plants has occurred in China, and pollen imports have been suspended, so Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, where pears are a specialty, has decided to collect their own pollen. Volunteers gathered through public recruitment helped pick the flowers.
In response to an outbreak of fire blight that caused the branches and leaves of fruit trees to wither in China, the country stopped importing Chinese pollen from last year to prevent the spread of infection.
In Chiba Prefecture, which has the highest pear production in the country, many farmers used pollen produced in China, so a lack of pollen this season has become an issue.In Ichikawa City, farmers have started an initiative to collect pollen themselves. I did.
On the 5th, five volunteers dispatched by the city, ranging in age from their 20s to their 70s, visited the farm and carefully picked each pear flower by hand from the cut pear branches and placed them in baskets. 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.The volunteers will work at farms in the city, including picking flowers and doing things like artificial pollination. is.
A female volunteer in her 50s said, ``I applied because I thought it would be a rare experience.I hope to grow large, sweet, and juicy pears.''
Kazuaki Arai, a pear farmer, said, ``It's been a great help.I definitely want to grow high-quality pears.''