Despite a bumper harvest of domestically grown potatoes this year, it has emerged that Japan is considering lifting its ban on US potato imports. Growers have pushed back, with one saying, “As a producer, I absolutely cannot accept this when it comes to imports.” On 5channel (5ch, Japan’s largest anonymous forum), users debated concerns over cyst nematode damage to farmland, the fact that some fast-food chains already use American-grown potatoes, and the loosening of fungicide and pesticide regulations on imported produce.
This year’s potato harvest is excellent. So why is Japan considering lifting the ban on American imports right now? What will it do to prices?
■ Lifting the ban on US potato imports?
Potato farmer: “As a producer, I absolutely cannot accept this when it comes to imports.”
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
Isn't that the same risk with the processed potatoes we already import?
Basically what's imported now is already processed. Some unprocessed ones do come in, but soil still attached is strictly forbidden.
McDonald's long fries are American, but I thought KFC ('Kenta') and Mos Burger used domestic Japanese potatoes?
There was a KFC fry shortage a while back, and the reason given was that supply from America wasn't coming in.
Huh, is that right. Anyway, what's with calling it 'Kenchiki' lol — normal people just say 'Kenta'
KFC's fries aren't even that good, so I wouldn't miss them.
Just the usual leftist agitators (パヨク／'payoku', a mocking online slur for left-leaning commentators) stirring up fear over stuff like that.
We've genuinely been burned badly by cyst nematodes before. If we get hit with the white potato cyst nematode too, we'd have to start breeding resistant varieties all over again — that's seriously bad news.
Worrying about your food supply is completely normal though?
Do people even eat oranges at home anymore? Feels like I haven't touched one in maybe 10 years.
> Watch out for fungicides and herbicides — Japan is loosening regulations against the global trend
Imported produce sometimes carries harmful pesticides that aren't permitted domestically. One example is the 'fungicide' used on lemons, oranges, grapefruit and other citrus imported from the US. These are so-called 'post-harvest pesticides' — sprayed after harvest, during the sea voyage from the US to Japan, to keep mold from forming.
https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20181126_807466.html?DETAIL
That's a 2018 article, so this deregulation happened a while ago, huh.
No wonder they ship this stuff drenched in chemicals.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “US Potato Imports Set to Be Allowed! Why Now, With a Bumper Harvest?“
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