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Japanese Visitors Seek SAC Advice on Farm Support
Japanese rice - sushi (opens in new window)
Staff from SAC’s Land Economy & Environment Group recently hosted a visit from Japanese economists looking for new ways to support their farmers. Rice production in Japan is amongst the most highly protected in the world and the use of high import tariffs is often raised in world trade talks.
Professor Masayuki Kashiwagi of Waseda University in Japan was accompanied by Dr Yoshihiko Oyama of Birmingham University. Professor Kashiwagi has been tasked by the Japanese Government with examining future support mechanisms for Japanese agriculture, in particular relating to the valuable rice production in Japan’s mountainous, less favoured areas. His research has included visits to several EU countries to explore their experiences of the CAP following the 2003 reforms.
Alistair McVittie, Andrew Barnes and Steven Thomson from SAC, together with Dr Andrew Moxey (Pareto Consulting) discussed Scotland’s introduction of the Single Farm Payment. They outlined the rationale for historic payments, experiences since implementation and possible future directions.
The SAC economists were intrigued by the nature of some Japanese agriculture. They had not realised that rice can have a terroir, just like wine with the flavours and properties of rice varying according to the type of ground they grow on or water used. Likewise the giving of gifts has an important role in Japanese culture with “gift” horticulture involve much more than a simple bunch of flowers. People are prepared to pay the equivalent of several hundred or even thousands of pounds for a particular gift and high value gift horticulture is big business.
The meeting concluded with presentations of Land Economy’s work on Retreat from the Hills and the Environmental Accounts for Agriculture.