Japanese family farmers urge government to fight “new starvation”, agrofuels and global warming

Japan Family Farmers Movement（NOUMINREN）urge government to put the counter measure of “New Starvation”, prohibit agro-fuel and prevent global warming

NOUMINREN Press Release

Japan Family Farmers Movement（NOUMINREN）and National Coalition of Workers, Farmers and Consumers for Safe Food and Health (SHOKKEN-REN) have urged the government to play an active role to promote reducing world hunger and preventing global warming.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on April 25, representatives of the NOUMINREN and SHOKKEN-REN expressed concern about the food crisis and stressed the need to change the WTO rules that currently requires Japan to import rice despite its capability to be self-sufficient in rice.

Yoshitaka Mashima, vice chair of NOUMINREN said, “It is clear that the WTO’s free trade policy cannot solve the food crisis but only exacerbates it.”

Pointing out that the amount of rice the Philippines needs is almost the same as rice Japan imports from abroad, Mashima said that there is a dearth of rice worldwide and that the rules that increase the poverty rate must not be allowed.

Concerning the effort to prevent global warming, the representatives insisted, “Global warming will not be checked unless the government sets an effective goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions with severe penalty for failure to make efforts to achieve it.”

May 11 2008