## 2 Developing and conserving agricultural production infrastructure

Of paddy fields totaling 2.46 million hectares in Japan, about 60% have been integrated into 30-are or larger partitions. Only 10% have been integrated into large (1-hectare or larger) partitions. About one-third of integrated paddy fields have unfavorable drainage conditions. It is important to promote infrastructure development including the expansion of farmland partitions and the general use of farmlands to improve domestic agriculture's productivity and support a strong agriculture.

Given that agricultural irrigation facilities are out of date and that torrential rain and other disaster risks are going, the government promotes the systematic and efficient repair and renewal of agricultural irrigation facilities and disaster prevention/reduction measures combining hardware and software to make rural areas more resilient.

O Even in hilly, mountainous and other areas with disadvantageous conditions for agricultural production, there are some cases in which large agricultural production areas have been developed through production cost cuts triggered by infrastructure improvement and through the creation of unique brands.

## State of paddy field improvement (2014)

Paddy fields totaling 2.46 million hectares

Large-scale partitions: 0.23 million hectares	Integration-completed paddy fields: 1.57 million hectares (64%)	Before-integration paddy fields: 0.89 million hectares (36%)
Favorable water drainage conditions 1.08 million hectares	Unfavorable drainage conditions 0.49 million hectares

Multipurpose paddy fields

Sources: MAFF, “Statistics on Cultivated Land and Planted Area,” and “Basic Survey on Agriculture Infrastructure Information”

## Agriculture production infrastructure development in hilly and mountainous areas and its effects

Nara Prefecture’s Gojo City, which has traditionally developed as a Japanese persimmon production area, had had difficulties in stabilizing persimmon harvest and quality due to many steeply inclined orchards and insufficient irrigation until the first half of the 1970s. Infrastructure development from 1974 created mildly inclined orchards and new irrigation facilities including dams and drains, helping expand persimmon harvest 30% and enlarge persimmon sizes. Even in a hilly and mountainous area with disadvantageous conditions for agricultural production, infrastructure development has helped the city grow into one of the leading persimmon production sites in Japan.

A persimmon orchard in

Gojo, Nara Prefecture

## 3 Production trends for major farm and livestock products

## (1) Rice

Japan’s total area for planting table rice in 2015 indicated that excess planting disappeared for the first time since the commencement of production target volume allocation in 2004 as farmers promoted a switch from table rice to feed rice, wheat or soybeans.

The government will continue efforts to pave the way for farmers by 2018 to appropriately determine their production volume meeting demand in view of market trends by themselves, without depending on the administrative sector’s allocation of target production volume.

As the supply-demand balance for table rice produced in 2015 tightened, the average negotiated price for all rice brands in March 2016 rose by 1,309 yen per 60 kilograms over the last year to 13,252 yen per 60 kilograms (annual average price in 2015 was the record low).

Changes in total rice-planted area including paddies subject to early harvests

Sources: MAFF, “Statistics on Cultivated Land and Planted Area,” MAFF surveys

Changes in excess planting for table rice