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Date : September 25 - 26, 2008

Report:September 25-26, 2008【NIIGATA CITY Press Tour】

post date : 2013.08.22

img4908257905cefA total of 11 reporters, 7 Tokyo-based and 4 visiting on a FPCJ fellowship program, from such countries as France, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, UK, Bangladesh, and Mongolia, participated in the tour which marked the third year of its kind. They reported on Niigata's new initiatives as a core rice-growing regionlocal farmers exporting their produce with safety and security; the use of rice flour instead of imported wheat to make bread, noodles and cakes; a demonstration rice-plant bio-ethanol project. 

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All over the world people are suffering from soaring food and oil prices and grow concerned about food shortages as well as energy sources drying up in future. The city of Niigata is the production center of rice, Japan's staple food, fully 63% self-sufficient in food. It is currently trying to raise the self sufficiency rate of food and energy, which it produces/consumes locally to achieve security in these fields.

 

img4908259ae5e55A total of 11 reporters, 7 Tokyo-based and 4 visiting on a FPCJ fellowship program, from such countries as France, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, UK, Bangladesh, and Mongolia, participated in the tour which marked the third year of its kind.

 

They reported on Niigata's new initiatives as a core rice-growing region; local farmers exporting their produce with safety and security(photo up right) ;the use of rice flour instead of imported wheat to make bread, noodles and cakes; a demonstration rice-plant bio-ethanol project(photo right).

 

After the tour, the French newspaper "Le Monde" (dated October 12, 2008) wrote that in 2009 people in Japan will have rice bio-ethanol available. On the other hand, "The Jungantor" (dated October 14) from Bangladeshshowed its concern in the article titled "Rich countries continue expanding bio-ethanol production using food grains". 

 

The Financial Times, UK, published a Japan survey on October 14 and filed a story about Niigata farmers coping with rice production adjustment in new ways.

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Related video news---FPCJ Video Clips
Safety and security for consumers - Niigata farmers pioneer new directions of Japanese farming
Press conference by Mr. Akira Shinoda, Mayor, Niigata City

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