ニュースで学ぶ「現代英語」▽そば 輸入価格高騰で国産にシフト
1月18日(水)
2023年1月18日(水)
そば 輸入価格高騰で国産にシフト
FIRM TO GROW MORE BUCKWHEAT AT HOME TO OFFSET RISING IMPORT COSTS
buckwheat ソバ(の実)
offset
2022年12月14日のニュース
And buckwheat is one of those materials.
In Japan, it is used for making “soba” noodles.
Import prices of the grain have been soaring on the back of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the weaker yen. Now, Japan's biggest buckwheat-milling firm is planning to grow more of the crop at home to offset the rising costs.
Nikkoku Seifun has been importing about 80 percent of the buckwheat it processes. The source countries include Russia and China, where prices used to be relatively low, but are now steeply rising.
China's buckwheat production is decreasing as it switches to soybeans and other crops in a bid to lessen its dependence on U.S. farm products.
in a bid to の一環として
The company is feeling the effects directly.
It has been forced to raise the price of its flour made from imported buckwheat twice since last year.
The firm plans to double its buckwheat acreage in Japan by 2024. It's also building a new flour factory to expand capacity.
What grains is China's backweat procustion swiching to?
China's buckwheat production is decreasing as it switches to soybeans and other crops in a bid to lessen its dependence on U.S. farm products.
What is the farm building to expand the capacity?
It's also building a new flour factory to expand capacity.
★「上がる」
rise「～が上がる」
raise「～を上げる」
soar「急上昇する、急騰する」
escalate
surge
shoot up
skyrocket 急激な上昇
I feel like shoot up and skyrocket imply extremely sudden increase.
While escalate and surge are steadier.
So back home in the United States, I don't think I ever ate anything with buckwheat in it. Then I was 20, I came to Japan to study abroad and got a chance to make my own soba. Ever since I got a taste of it, it's been one of my favorite foods.
2023年1月17日(火)
岩手県 カナダに和牛売り込み
IWATE TOUTS WAGYU IN CANADA AS BEEF TARIFFS SET TO END
2022年12月14日のニュース
Canadian tariffs on Japanese beef exports will be lifted next month. And Japan's northern prefecture of Iwate is making the most of the opportunity to promote its premium wagyu.
Iwate Governor Tasso Takuya spoke at an event in Ottawa attended by about 50 people. They included Canadian government officials and restaurateurs. Tasso explained that Iwate wagyu cattle are raised using sustainable agricultural methods and their meat is beautifully marbled.
Participants sampled dishes such as sukiyaki and sushi that featured beef.
(Attendee)
“It's ... yeah ... well-balanced, like I said, where, you know, it kind of melts in your mouth. But it's not greasy. So, yeah, really ... really nice texture too.”
Canada has applied tariffs to Japanese beef since 2018 under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. But they are due to be lifted completely starting next month.
2023年1月16日(月)
農産物ブランド品種 海外流出防ぐ機関設立へ
JAPAN TO SET UP ENTITY TO PROTECT HIGH-END FARM PRODUCTS
2022年12月3日のニュース
The Japanese government will set up a new entity to prevent high-end domestic fruit and other farm products from being illegally grown overseas.
This comes after items such as Shine Muscat and Ruby Roman grapes were found growing in other countries. The revised Plant Variety Protection and Seed Act took effect last year. It bans taking seeds and seedlings abroad without permission.
The agriculture ministry says the new entity will help product developers with the registration process for each country. This has so far been a burden for them.
The entity will be established in cooperation with prefectural governments and the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization. It will collect license fees for varieties authorized for overseas cultivation. The ministry plans to introduce the system from the fiscal year starting in April.