Q&As about agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries after the Earthquake

• Fukushima Prefecture's agriculture, forestry and fisheries were significantly affected by the disaster.
• The impact can be broadly divided into two categories, ""damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami" and "impact resulting from the nuclear disaster".

（1）Damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami 

• As a result of the earthquake and tsunami, some farmers suffered losses with agricultural land, facilities and machinery being destroyed or swept away, rendering them unable to continue agricultural activities. 
• For instance, during the earthquake, rice fields and vegetable gardens had cracks, agricultural roads and dams were destroyed, and large-scale horticultural greenhouses collapsed, leading to significant damage in agricultural areas. 
• Likewise, the tsunami caused destruction along coastal agricultural land, damaged water channels, drainage systems and other infrastructures. Greenhouses, tractors and other equipments were washed away, and debris and sludge accumulated on agricultural lands. Additionally, the intrusion of seawater resulted in elevated soil salinity, further delaying the resumption of agricultural operations.
• In the forestry sector, damage was observed in the form of landslides on mountain slopes and the destruction of forest roads caused by the earthquake.
• The fishing industry also faced consequences from the tsunami, including damage to fishing ports, fish markets, fish processing facilities and fishing vessels. Debris accumulation in fishing grounds was another significant impact.
• The situation of the damage is as follows:

【Damage to large-scale horticultural greenhouses】	【Damage to reservoir embankments】
【Damage to farmland caused by the tsunami】	【Damage to agricultural community drainage facilities】

（2）Damage caused by nuclear disasters

1.Establishment of evacuation zones

• As a result of establishing evacuation zones due to the nuclear power station accident, access to the land within the zones was restricted and farmers had to evacuate. 
• For instance, the total number of farming households was approximately 14,600 in the 12 municipalities*1 where evacuation orders were issued as a result of the nuclear accident. This represents approximately 15.0% (*2) of the pre-disaster total of 96,600 farming households in the prefecture.

• *1 municipalities where evacuation orders were issued (designated as Hazard Zone, Planned Evacuation Zone and Emergency Evacuation Preparation Zone): Tamura City, Minamisoma City, Kawamata Town, Hirono Town, Naraha Town, Tomioka Town, Kawauchi Village, Okuma Town, Futaba Town, Namie Town, Katsurao Village, Iitate Village.

  *2  Designation of evacuation zones was limited to certain areas in some municipalities, but the numbers were calculated for each and entire municipality respectively here.

2.Restrictions on planting and shipping

• Due to the impact of radioactive materials spread by the nuclear accident, there have been restrictions on rice cultivation in certain regions even in areas where normal living is possible. Additionally, for vegetables, fruits, mushrooms and other produces, inspections were conducted to check for radioactive materials. If the detected levels exceeded the safety standards, shipping restrictions were imposed.
• As a result of continuous inspections for radioactive materials and the efforts of producers to implement measures to prevent crop absorption, the number of restricted areas has significantly decreased. However, in some areas (such as evacuation-designated zones), restrictions have not been lifted yet.

3.Impact of harmful rumours

• Agricultural, forestry and fisheries products produced and distributed commercially in Fukushima Prefecture and have been confirmed perfectly safe, as measures to prevent the absorption of radioactive materials have been thoroughly implemented and strict inspections are conducted to ensure safety (*see later description). However, some consumers still feel uncertain in consuming these products and believe that it is best to avoid Fukushima Prefecture's products if there is a choice. 
• Therefore, there are cases where Fukushima Prefecture's products are removed from stores or sold at lower prices. 
  If sold at lower price, sales (production value) are reduced even with the same quantity of products sold. 
• Consequently, production value (sales) of Fukushima Prefecture's agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries experienced a severe decline after the disaster. As shown in the graph below, there was a significant drop in 2011.
• However, the producers in Fukushima Prefecture continue to work with the concerned parties to rebuild and revitalize the industries.

(1) Restoration of production infrastructure
(2) Support for agricultural, forestry, and fishing businesses affected by the disaster
(3) Ensuring the safety of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products
(4) Addressing harmful rumoursestoration of production infrastructure

estoration of production infrastructure

（1）Restoration of production infrastructure

• First, efforts were made to restore damaged rice fields, farmlands, dams, waterways, agricultural and forestry roads, fishing grounds and related facilities. 
• For the status of restoration in agricultural, forestry, and fisheries facilities, please refer to the Fukushima Prefecture website under the "Current Status of Fukushima Prefecture's agriculture, forestry and fisheries" section.

　【Current Status of Fukushima Prefecture's agriculture, forestry and fisheries】https://www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp/sec/36005b/norinkikaku2.html(Japanese Only)

（2）Support for agricultural, forestry, and fisheries businesses affected by the disaster

• In the agricultural sector, various forms of support are provided to facilitate resumption of operations including supporting joint restoration efforts undertaken by group of farmers as well as offering subsidies for the acquisition of facilities and machinery. For example, there are initiatives such as the establishment of shared facilities like grain drying facilities, horticultural and livestock facilities and even the creation of plant factories as a whole new initiative. 
• Support is also provided for agricultural producers who have been displaced and temporarily resumed farming activities at their new locations. This assistance covers initial expenses among others. 
• In the forestry sector, assistance is provided to forestry businesses and timber industry operators for the restoration and improvement of facilities. For the purpose of forest regeneration, there is an integrated approach to promote both forest management and measures to address the spread of radioactive materials. 
• In the fisheries sector, efforts are being made to expand catches while taking into account the results of monitoring, with the aim of achieving full-scale operation of coastal fisheries. 
• Support is extended to ensure the swift and smooth progress of compensation for the damages suffered by agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries due to the nuclear accident.

（3）Ensuring safety of agricultural, forestry and fishery products​

• On the other hand, it is of paramount importance to ensure the shipment of safe agricultural, forestry, and fishery products.
• Therefore, in addition to the decontamination of agricultural land and fruit trees, measures have been taken to prevent crops from absorbing radioactive materials, including the use of potassium materials in farmland.

【Stripping topsoil】

​【Inversion tillage: Exchanging the topsoil and subsoil layers】

【Cleaning of tree bark】

• Also, inspections for radioactive materials (monitoring inspection) on food products at every stage of production, manufacturing, distribution and consumption are conducted in order to ensure consumer safety and security. 
• The results are shared through our website and other channels to disseminate information and help consumers understand what is safe.
• Particularly for rice, which is a staple food, inspection of all grains of all bags of brown rice produced within the prefecture has been conducted. Those that pass the safety standards are labeled and sold as "Inspected," demonstrating our commitment to thorough safety management.
• As there have been no instance of rice exceeding the standard limit for five years since FY2015, inspections have been transitioned to monitoring for rice produced from 2020 onwards, based on the resumption of farming, except in some municipalities that were subject to evacuation orders.
• In some municipalities where evacuation orders were in place, the inspection of all grains in all bags will continue, as some areas have not resumed farming or new rice paddies have been planted after the disaster. However, the Prefecture is looking to transition to monitoring inspections, while confirming progress in the resumption of farming and the intentions of the municipalities.

　【Fukushima Prefecture Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Products and Processed Food Monitoring Information Website】https://www.new-fukushima.jp/
　【Fukushima Association for Securing Safety of Agricultural Products】https://fukumegu.org/ok/contentsV2/index.html

（4）Addressing harmful rumours​

• Starting from TV commercials and websites to top sales campaigns by the governor and other promotional activities, various efforts are being made to ensure the safety and security of locally produced agricultural, forestry and fisheries products and dispel harmful rumours.

​​ 【Top sales campaign of "Fuku, Warai", Fukushima's branded rice by the governor】

​​​​​ 【"Fukushima Pride Delivery Service" online store that promotes and sells local products.】