2019 Volume 91 Issue 2 Pages 146-163
This study reviews the background of The Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas formulation,the aim of the new basic law, and the agricultural policy for 20 years, and introduces the research results of the main policies of The Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (PRIMAFF). The new basic law treats food, agriculture and rural areas as an integral unit, and makes concrete programs for measures deployment as a basic plan. It is very significant that a mechanism to execute measures deployment flexibly according to the situation of economy and society was constructed by the basic plan. It was revealed that such as the progress of production in response to the externalization of food, concentration of measures to business farmers, farming income stabilization measures, and direct payment to farmers in hilly and mountainous areas are steadily achieving an effect. On the other hand, it is hard to say that the food self-sufficiency ratio has improved. It is especially necessary to deepen the discussion on the positioning of the self-sufficiency ratio on a calorie supply basis in the future basic plan.
