Japan Press Weekly

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2009 January 21 - 27 [AGRICULTURE]

‘Let us work together to rebuild Japanese farming’-- Shii at farmers’ congress

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo spoke at the 18th Convention of the National Confederation of Farmers’ Movement (Nouminren) on January 20. Below is an edited version of his speech:

“Nouminren’s support to the ‘tent village’ during the New Year holidays heartened the workers who came to take shelter there after losing their jobs and places to live. This state of affairs has brought home to me the importance of control of food production in the event of a crisis.

We are now at a turning point in establishing ‘food safety and security right here in Japan,’ which Nouminren has consistently called for since its founding 20 years ago.

This call used to be criticized as protectionist or anachronistic. Today, what Nouminren has been calling for has become commonsensical worldwide.

Nouminern has also been consistent in taking a lead in the struggle against the policy of lifting restrictions on food imports.

Late last year, a report submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council pointed out that the current WTO agriculture agreement has increased more hunger rather than decrease it worldwide, and recommended that ‘each country should not depend on world trade if seeking to establish sustainable food security, and to reject WTO agreements that fail to comply with the basic right to food.’ The Nouminren’s call for ‘WTO agreements to be rejected and food sovereignty established’ represents the world majority opinion.

In Japan, the public has come to share the recognition that it is dangerous for Japan to continue to depend on foreign imports of food. Nouminren has called for rejection of the WTO minimum access requirement for import of foreign rice, forcing the agriculture ministry to suggest the need to review it.

Nouminren’s long-running opposition to the limitless opening of the market to foreign agricultural products and its call for strengthening border measures based on ‘food sovereignty’ are shared widely throughout the world.

Nouminren has demanded that the government officially recognize agriculture as a key industry and take steps to promote its independent development.

Look at the state of affairs in local economies and you will find that declines in agriculture production are linked to the economic as well as social degeneration of local communities. Without revitalization of agriculture, there can be no economic growth driven by increasing domestic demand. If agricultural production increases, consumption of farm implements, fertilizers, and farming supplies will grow. If farmers’ incomes increase, there will be greater returns to the local economies, and it will contribute to invigorating food and other manufacturing as well as various non-farm related services.

Agricultural recovery is the basis for rebuilding local economies. It is also the very foundation of reconstruction of the Japanese economy. To achieve this, it is essential to guarantee producers’ prices and compensate farm incomes so that farmers can engage in reproducible farming without anxieties.”