Changes in the Agricultural Production Structure and Policy

Around the Rice Policy Reform

Abstract

This paper deals with the agricultural production structure and policy in the 1990s around the rice policy reform. (1) Rice problems and paddy agricultural problems are grasped in the framework of food problems and dealt with in the historical development of food problems. For developed countries the 19th century was the century in which the main theme of food problems was how to satisfy the hunger of the stomach with starch (cereals, potatoes, etc.), and the 20th century was that in which the hunger of the stomach for animal protein was satisfied with milk (milk products), eggs and meats. It is important that major developed countries such as Germany and the USA have reached this stage through the establishment of self-sufficiency of feed stuff, but that Japan has only succeeded in the satisfaction of hunger with animal protein and failed in the establishment of self-sufficiency of feed stuff until today. (2) Rice problems are analyzed from the viewpoint of structural problems with much concern for the total process of production, distribution and consumption of food. (3) It is strongly emphasized that the 1990s are the turning point decade in comparison with the 1980s within the problems of food, rice and agricultural structural changes. The tendency of food consumption was orientated toward Americanization until the end of 1980s, but toward re-Japanization in the 1990s in which a new type of takeout and restaurant chain plays an important part. In spite of these changes in the 1990s, the rice production structure remained unchanged and was orientated toward high quality production but not low price production. (4) Based on the analysis of development hereinabove, ten implications are mentioned in regard to the fundamental idea of paddy agricultural policy.