MIZUHO Global Agri-Innovation
We are supporting Japanese agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries to successfully expand their business to global markets.
Background
Japan's agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries, which are largely composed of small-scale, part-time farmers, are currently facing a number of major issues, such as an aging population of farmers and an increasingly severe shortage of young farmers to one day replace them.
One of the goals stated in the 2016 Version of the "Japan Revitalization Strategy," which was announced in June of 2016 in order to address these issues, is the establishment of "Aggressive Management" of the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries. This "Aggressive Management" strategy calls for hastening efforts to consolidate and integrate agricultural production while actively promoting exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products and foodstuffs.
Based on our years of experience in shaping policy in these industries and consulting on matters related to agribusiness, Mizuho Research & Technologies has come to the following conclusions: 1) that promoting the export of low-output, high-quality Japanese agricultural, forestry and fishery products has its limits and 2) that, in order to make a business of the export of "Japanese-branded" products in particular, it will be absolutely essential to establish an export system that makes it possible to supply these products to the world with reliable quantities and quality. At the same time, based on our experience of researching and studying Africa, we have come to understand that, in spite of having enormous potential for agricultural production thanks to its vast arable lands, stable climate and abundant labor force, Africa does not currently produce high value-added agricultural products.
In light of these circumstances, we believe that producing Japanese-branded agricultural products in Africa using Japanese agricultural technology would be mutually beneficial to both Japan and Africa and, further, that creating platforms for Japanese enterprises to expand overseas is an important policy initiative for Mizuho Research & Technologies. Thus, we have launched "MIZUHO Global Agri-Innovation®" as a project that endeavors to assist Japanese agribusiness companies in their efforts to expand overseas, with Africa as the starting point.
Service Overview
"MIZUHO Global Agri-Innovation®" supports research and feasibility studies involving the cultivation of Japanese-branded agricultural products and the transfer of advanced Japanese agricultural technology, such as farming machinery and so on.
We provide wide-ranging support in terms of experimentation, feasibility studies and project/business incubation-from overseas agricultural production to selective breeding, the development of farming machinery and other materials, commercialization/marketing, establishing logistics systems/networks and so on.
- *MIZUHO Global Agri-Innovation is a registered trademark of Mizuho Research & Technologies, Ltd.
Contact
Department: Consulting Business Promotion Division
TEL: +81-3-5281-5301