By KEIKO SUGIYAMA/ Staff Writer
October 1, 2024 at 07:00 JST
Shine Muscat grapes from Yamanashi Prefecture on display at a fruit shop in Kofu in September 2023 (Masahiro Haba)
A grape variety called Shine Muscat is helping to change perceptions that farming isn’t lucrative, say officials in Yamanashi Prefecture.
That may explain a surge in new mostly young farmers to the mountainous region in central Japan.
Many of the newcomers are choosing to grow grapes, peaches and plums as Yamanashi is renowned for its fruit production.
A record 344 individuals took up farming in the prefecture in fiscal 2023, up 13 from the previous year. It marked the highest number for the fourth consecutive year, according to the prefectural government.
It was also the eighth year in a row for the number of new farmers to exceed 300.
Officials said 201 of the 344 new farmers chose to cultivate fruit.
They noted that 157 of them are working for themselves, while the others are hired by agricultural corporations.
Of the self-employed farmers, around half, or 79, were newcomers, while 62 had quit city life to start afresh. Fourteen were retirees starting new careers in agriculture.
Figures showed that 79 percent of the self-employed farmers, or 124, and 41.2 percent of those working for someone else, or 77, chose to grow fruit.
Around 70 percent of all new farmers were in their 40s or younger. Sixty-four self-employed farmers and 102 hired by agricultural corporations were under 40.
The number of new self-employed farmers ranged from 20 to 50 annually until fiscal 2005, but then increased significantly after the premium Shine Muscat grape was listed as a variety in 2006. Its popularity grew both in Japan and overseas.
“Shine Muscat grape is highly profitable, which has helped change perceptions that farming isn’t lucrative,” said a prefectural government official. “Farmers in the prefecture are skilled and grow all sorts of varieties to mitigate risks, which is another strength.”
“I believe many people think that Yamanashi Prefecture is the best place to start grape cultivation,” he said.
The number of new employed farmers reached 187, surpassing the previous record of 185 in fiscal 2020.
Of them, 66 were involved in growing tomatoes and other vegetables, making the category the second most popular choice after fruit cultivation, the category for 77 individuals.
Prefectural officials said efforts to consolidate farmland, including corporate involvement, had contributed to job creation in agriculture.
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