Japan's Farm and Food Exports Hit a Record 897.7 Billion Yen in the First HalfA · FULL TRANSLATION
- Japan's farm, forestry, fishery and food exports reached a record 897.7 billion yen in the first half, up 10.9% year on year.
- The United States led destinations at 162.6 billion yen (up 15.3%), followed by Hong Kong at 110.0 billion yen (up 3.0%), China at 94.0 billion yen (up 4.3%) and Taiwan at 88.2 billion yen (up 9.5%).
- The largest gains by item were green tea, up 22.0 billion yen, yellowtail, up 17.8 billion yen, and mixed sauces and seasonings, up 5.1 billion yen.
- June alone came to 147.1 billion yen, up 6.8% year on year.
- The figures come from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' trade statistics.
Japan's farm, forestry, fishery and food exports reached a record 897.7 billion yen in the first half of the year, according to trade statistics compiled by JETRO. The figure continues a run of records built on processed foods, alcoholic drinks and marine products, and it matters beyond agriculture: export growth is one of the few areas where a weaker yen has translated directly into revenue for small regional producers rather than large manufacturers.
For readers in Taiwan, which ranks among the largest buyers of Japanese food products, the practical angle is supply and price. Record export volumes tighten domestic availability of premium items and support prices at origin, so the gap between Japanese retail prices and imported prices in Taipei tends to widen rather than narrow.
The detail worth watching in the full-year figures is the mix: whether growth comes from volume or from currency translation, since only the former survives a stronger yen.
Japan's exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products and foods came to 897.7 billion yen in the first half of this year (January to June), a record high and an increase of 10.9% from a year earlier.
By item, green tea posted the largest gain at 22.0 billion yen, followed by yellowtail at 17.8 billion yen and mixed sauces and seasonings at 5.1 billion yen.
By destination, the United States led the first half at 162.6 billion yen, up 15.3%, followed by Hong Kong at 110.0 billion yen (up 3.0%), China at 94.0 billion yen (up 4.3%) and Taiwan at 88.2 billion yen (up 9.5%).
For June alone, exports were 147.1 billion yen, up 6.8% year on year: the United States at 26.4 billion yen (up 4.7%), Hong Kong at 22.6 billion yen (up 2.7%), China at 16.4 billion yen (up 9.3%) and Taiwan at 13.9 billion yen (up 8.6%).
The data come from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' classification of trade in agricultural, forestry and fishery products.