Japan to Bolster Support for Agriculture Overseas

Tokyo, May 9 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government is planning to
offer financial and technical support for agricultural development projects
overseas in an effort to secure stable grain supply amid surging global
demand.

Target projects are expected to include construction of storage and
shipment facilities as well as road and railway networks in South America,
Russia and Central Asia, officials said.
A task force, set up in April by officials from ministries and aid
agencies, will draw up details as early as July.
Global grain consumption is estimated to increase 500 million tons
from 2006 to 2.6 billion tons in 2018, according to the Japanese agriculture
ministry.
Soaring demand would lead to increasing difficulties in procuring
such grain as wheat, soybeans and maize.
Such a sense of urgency has prompted China to move to acquire more
farm land overseas for securing enough food for its people, said a senior
official of a major Japanese trading house.