- The livestock products produced by using imported feed, which are regarded as domestic products, are not included in domestic calories for the purpose of calculation. Therefore, the self-sufficiency ratio of livestock products on a calorie basis is affected by the feed self-sufficiency ratio. In FY2005, the feed self-sufficiency ratio was 76% in the case of roughage and 11% in the case of concentrated feed. The overall feed self-sufficiency ratio in FY2005 was 25%, which was comparable to the overall ratio in FY 2004. The recent ratios generally continue to be flat.

Transition of Feed Self-sufficiency Ratio

Source: Investigated by MAFF

Note: All the feed imported in FY1965 and FY1975 was regarded as concentrated feed.

Therefore, for convenience sake, the roughage self-sufficiency ratio was defined as 100%.

• When we consider the recent trend of global feed supply and demand, we should improve the feed self-sufficiency ratio.

• Because the demand for roughage can be satisfied by domestic production, more efforts are to be made to expand the production of whole crop rice silage and promote the use of domestic rice straw as feed so that the food self-sufficiency ratio can be improved.

• Production of feed from residual food (eco-feed) should be promoted to improve the roughage self-sufficiency ratio. An attempt has been made to produce rice for feed and ultra-high-yielding varieties, which have achieved a yield 1.5 times to twice as high as that of rice for staple food $ [800-1,000\ kg/10\ acres\ (results\ obtained\ in\ the\ experimental\ field)] $ , have been developed. Further efforts should be made to develop high-yielding varieties so that profitability can be improved.

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## (1) Project for Production of Whole Crop Rice Silage

Since 2002, Adogawa Rice for Feed Production Association (Takashima-shi, Shiga Pref.) has supplied livestock farmers with whole crop rice silage which is produced from crops on land diverted from paddy fields by crop production farmers. In FY2006, rice for feed was grown in 15.5 ha of diverted land and whole crop rice silage was given to more than 2,000 cows. In the future, aiming at producing whole crop rice silage that satisfies livestock farmers' needs, crop production farmers will make more efforts to further expand the feed supply by stabilizing the production and improving the quality.

## (2) Project for Raising Hogs with Rice for Feed

Harvesting rice for whole crop rice silage

In Yuza-machi, Yamagata Pref., with a view to the effective utilization and preservation of agricultural land and an improvement of the food self-sufficiency ratio, since FY2004, various sectors including farmers, agricultural cooperatives, universities, hog raisers, NPOs and cooperatives, have jointly promoted the project for raising hogs with rice for feed.

Rice for feed is grown in abandoned cultivated land which local farmers or NPOs rent from the town. The harvested rice for feed is sold to nearby hog raisers who add the rice to the feed mixture. In this manner, the corn content can be reduced to 50-40%. Since 2006, the rice fed hog meat has been sold through cooperatives.

The sale price of rice for feed is about one sixth of the price of rice for staple food and part of the production cost is covered by the subsidy. Therefore, more efforts have been made to reduce the production cost by introducing the direct seeding cultivation and use of hog manure (liquid fertilizer). Further improvement is needed before the yield can be increased and the cultivation cost can be considerably reduced.

Field for rice for feed