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| Industrial
Promotion for Self-Independence |
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| Development of a food base |
Food is indispensable for a nation's
life, and a stable supply of safe, good quality food must be supplied throughout
the future. However, the rapid increase in world population has introduced
an element of concern regarding the stability of the supply and demand and
trade of food on a global scale. In addition, with advancement and diversification
of dietary life, Japan has become more dependent on foreign agricultural
product imports, making the improvement of a self-support supply of food
and important issue.
Hokkaido possesses approximately 1/4
of the farm area of Japan and manages large-scale dry-field farming and
dairy farming. Furthermore, by including fishery products, Hokkaido supplies
approximately 2/10 of the calories consumed by the entire nation and the
percentage is growing. There is great expectation that Hokkaido will make
a great contribution to a stable food supply for our country.
For
these reasons, from a medium long-range point of view we can anticipate
the maintenance and increase of domestic production of the food supply by
continued development of the agricultural and marine products industries
and promoting the strengthening of management, preparing production infrastructure,
developing new technology, fisheries control for resource management and
fish hatchery and process industries.
Furthermore, in order
to increase the supply of safe, fresh, tasty and economical agricultural
and fishery products to supply consumer needs, along with strengthening
collaboration at each stage in producing, processing, distribution and consumption,
comprehensive measures need to be taken such as lowering the total cost
from producer to consumer in order to carry out the role of a food base. |
In Hokkaido, to convert to an independent
type industrial structure, economic group and others promote the Hokkaido
industrial cluster creative project aimed at the accumulation of food, housing
and recreation related industries, and industry-academic-government collaboration
center (abbr. KORABO Hokkaido) which promotes commercialization project,
conducts industry-academic-government collaborative studies and supports
new ventures.
The idea of the industrial cluster is to promote and strengthen
industries through interchange and the industry-academic-government network,
and to develop Hokkaido in the same way that Finland and Denmark, which
are similar in terms of nature and population, were developed.
Hokkaido industries rely mainly on imported processing and assembly
machines and are weak in terms of inter-industry cooperation, but there
is great expectation of the promotion of industrial cluster for establishing
new industries in the areas.
In the 6th period Hokkaido comprehensive development project,
the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has this designated the
industrial cluster project as one of the priorities for the promotion of
industry. |
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