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CHAPTER 8 AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES
This chapter covers agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and supply and demand of food.
The section of agriculture contains statistics on agricultural management entities, persons engaged, agricultural land, farm products, sericulture, livestock, agricultural economy, etc. Main sources of data are "Census of Agriculture and Forestry", "Survey of Movement in Agricultural Structure", "Crop Survey", "Statistics on Production and Shipment of Vegetables", "Statistics on Production and Shipment of Fruits and Nuts", "Statistical Survey on Livestock", "Statistical Survey on Livestock Products Marketing", "Statistical Survey on Farm Management and Economy", and "Statistical Survey on Prices in Agriculture", all of which are taken by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The section of forestry contains statistics on forestal management entities, persons engaged, forest resources, forest products and forestry household economy, etc. Data are mostly derived from "World Census of Agriculture and Forestry", "Survey of Lumber" and "Survey on Forestry Household Economy" by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The section of fisheries contains statistics on fishery enterprises, persons engaged, fishing boats, fishery products, fishery economy, etc. Data are mainly obtained from "Census of Fisheries", "Survey on Trends of Fishery Work Force", "Survey on Marine Fishery Production", "Survey on Inland Water Fishery and Aquaculture Production" and "Survey of Fishery Products Marketing" by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The section of data of the supply and demand of food are mainly drawn from "Food Balance Sheet" compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
As regards the items shown in the following, see the respective sections: for area by land category, "1 Land and Climate" and " 21Housing and Estate"; for earnings of workers engaged in forestry by occupation, "19Labour and Wages"; for agricultural insurance, government-managed forest insurance and fishing boat insurance, "16 Finance and Insurance"; for index numbers of commodity prices in agriculture, "20 Prices"; for index of consumption expenditure level, "22 Family Income and Expenditure"; and for damage to paddy fields and paddy harvests caused by natural disasters, "29 Disasters and Accidents".
Census of Agriculture and Forestry (Fundamental Statistical Survey)
The first post-war census on agriculture and forestry was conducted in 1950 according to the "World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 1950" proposed internationally by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). Since then, "World Census of Agriculture" (from 1960, "World Census of Agriculture and Forestry" incorporating forestry) has been conducted based every 10 years according to the "World Programme for the Census of Agriculture". In the inter-census years, or the year ending with 5, the "Census of Agriculture" (from 2005, Census of Agriculture and Forestry) has been conducted under Japan's original scheme. The "World Census of Agriculture and Forestry" conducted in 2010 is the 13th in the series of the census of agriculture after the World War II.
The "World Census of Agriculture and Forestry 2010" was conducted as of 1 February with a purpose to prepare basic materials for statistical surveys on agriculture and forestry and to clarify, along with the spirit of "World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2010" , the status of Japan's agriculture and forestry in comparison with that of countries of the world by grasping the structure of agricultural and forestry production and employment and the conditions of agricultural and forestry area. The "World Census of Agriculture and Forestry 2010" is composed of the survey on agricultural and forestry management entities and the survey on agricultural and forestry area (consisting of the survey of municipalities and the survey of agricultural settlements). The survey on agricultural and forestry management entities covers those entities, namely, individuals, organisations and juridical persons, producing agricultural or forestry products or entrusted to do agricultural or forestry work, using farming area or livestock of the specified size or more, and was conducted by the self-enumeration method through the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, local statistical organisations, supervisors and enumerators. The survey on agricultural and forestry area covers all the municipalities and agricultural settlements (excluding totally urbanised settlements). The survey of municipalities was conducted by the mail survey method (or via the Internet) through the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, local statistical organisations, and the survey of agricultural settlements was conducted by the self-enumeration method with the aid of persons knowledgeable about the settlements (or by the interview method) through the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, local statistical organisations and enumerators.
Survey of Movements in Agricultural Structure
This survey is a sample survey covering all the agricultural management entities meeting the conditions stated below and is conducted to clarify the status and change of the basic agricultural structure, such as the number of agricultural management entities, agricultural labour force, etc. and to provide materials for planning and implementation of agricultural policies for inter-census years. The agricultural management entities are divided into "family management entities" and "organisational management entities", and the survey was conducted as of 1 February by the self-enumeration method through enumerators for family management entities, and by the mail survey method through the local statistical organisations of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for organisational management entities.
Agricultural management entities
Those who produce agricultural products or entrusted to do agricultural, using farming area or livestock as specified below.
- (a) Agriculture operating on cultivated land of 30 ares or more
- (b) Agriculture of the size (in planted land area, growing land area, size of livestock, etc.) equal to or exceeding any of the following.
(1) 15 ares of open-air planted land for vegetables, (2) 350 square metres of facility for growing vegetables, (3) 10 ares of growing land for fruit trees, (4) 10 ares of open-air growing land for flowers, (5) 250 square metres of facility for growing flowers, (6) One cow for milking, (7) one beef cattle, (8) one pig, (9) 150 hens for egg, (10) broiler chickens, or (11) agricultural work producing agricultural products of 500 thousand yen or more. - (c) Entrusted agricultural work
Family agricultural management entities
Agricultural management entities operated mainly by household members, one of them having the decision right on management. A legal person composed of one household is included.
Organizational agricultural management entities
Agricultural management entities other than family agricultural management entities. Judicial persons (in case of the judicial person manages agricultural undertakings) or groups other than judicial persons.
Commercial farm households
Farm households operating cultivated land of 30 ares or more or those with annual sales (for 12 months preceding the survey date) of farm products amounting to 500,000 yen or more.
Full-time farm households
Farm households, where none of household members was employed in jobs by other entities or engaged in non-farming self-employed business during one year preceding the survey date.
Part-time farm households
Farm households, where one or more members are engaged in non-farming jobs. In addition, the"mainly farming" category of the part-time farm households refers to the households earning the income mainly from farming; and the "mainly other jobs", to the households earning income mainly from non-farming jobs.
Persons engaged in farming
Household members 15 years of age and older who were engaged in any work of family-operated farming, for one day or more during the one year preceding the survey date.
- Population engaged in farming
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Among persons engaged in farming, those only engaged in self-employed farming and those engaged in both farming and non-farming jobs but mainly in self-employed farming during one year preceding the survey date.
- Core persons mainly engaged in farming
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Among population engaged in farming, persons engaged mainly in farming as job usually.
Crop Survey (Fundamental Statistical Survey)
The survey, taken every year by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, was initiated in 1947. It aims at clarifying the actual situation of cultivated land and crop production. The survey is comprised of the Area Survey, the Yield Survey and the Survey of Crop Damage.
The Area Survey is composed of the survey of cultivated area and the survey of planted area. The survey of planted are covers paddy rice, sugar cane, sugar beet, etc.
The Yield Survey consists of the survey on growing conditions (for paddy rice), the survey on forecast of crop production (for paddy rice) and the survey of crop production (for rice, wheat and barley, soybean, sweet potato, forage crop, crops for sugar, tea, fruits, vegetables and flower).
Cultivated land
Cultivated land refers to the land for cultivation of farm crops, including attached dikes. Among the cultivated land, the proper field refers to the land used directly for the cultivation of farm crops, and the attached dike refers to a part of land mainly needed for the maintenance of cultivated land.
Planted area
The planted area here refers to the area where non-perennial crops including paddy rice, wheat and barley that are harvested within about one year from seeding or planting and not for multi-year harvest are planted.
Statistical Survey on Livestock
The survey (formerly Basic and Forecast Survey on Livestock until 2003) has been conducted annually by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries since 1970 in order to clarify the situation of livestock industries by presenting statistics on major livestock and raisers, and to provide basic data for the policy on livestock.
The survey is composed of "Survey on Dairy Cow", "Survey on Beef Cattle", "Survey on Pig", "Survey on Laying Hen" and "Survey on Broiler". The survey is conducted on dairy cow raisers, beef cattle raisers, pig raisers, laying hen raisers (excluding those raising less than 1,000 hens), and broiler raisers (excluding those whose amounts of annual shipment are less than 3,000 broilers). For the Survey on Dairy Cow, the Survey on Beef Cattle, the Survey on Pig, the Survey on Laying Hen and the Survey on Broiler, raisers are divided into the general class (for profit) and the special class (not for profit), and the general class is covered by a sample survey and the special class is covered by a complete survey.
The survey is conducted every year as of 1 February by the mail survey method. From 2005, the Survey on Pig, the Survey on Laying Hen and the Survey on Broiler have not been conducted in the year of the Census of Agriculture and Forestry.
Statistical Survey on Livestock Products Marketing
This survey is conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with the aim to grasp the traded volume and prices of livestock, and to provide basic materials for the policies such as control of production and shipments of livestock, stabilisation of price.
The survey is composed of (1) Survey on Slaughterhouse, (2) Survey on Meat Market, (3) Survey on Hen Eggs Marketing, and (4) Survey on Poultry Marketing. The target of each survey is; (1) all the slaughterhouses, (2) all the central meat wholesale markets and all the wholesale companies in the designated wholesale markets, (3) Major collection / shipping organisations with the handled volume of 10 ton or more , selected in the order of the direct collection volume (within the prefecture), whose accumulated collection volume reaches 60 percent of the total of the respective prefecture, (4) all the poultry slaughterhouses established with the permission of the prefectural governor under the Poultry Slaughtering Business Control and Poultry Meat Inspection Act where young chicken for meat, culled chicken or other chicken for meat were processed.
The survey is conducted by online reporting, mail and by enumerator's interview.
Statistical Survey on Farm Management and Economy (Fundamental Statistical Survey)
Survey on Farm Management and Economy has been conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries since 1995 with the purpose to monitor the management and economy of farm households and other entities as well as the production cost of farm products and to contribute to agricultural policy making. Consolidating the surveys under different systems, such as the Survey of Farm Household Economy , the Survey on Production Cost of Rice , both of which had been conducted since 1949, surveys on production cost of other crops and livestock than rice and finally, the Survey on Management of Farm Organisations was absorbed in 2004. Statistics on farm management and economy by type of farming, statistics on production cost of crops, and statistics on production cost of livestock are compiled from this Survey. In addition, statistics on farm management and economy by type of management (of individual ownership) are derived from the statistics on farm management and economy by type of farming.
The survey is conducted by the way of self-entry in cash accounting book and work diary and of interview by the staff of local statistical office.
Statistics on Farm Management and Economy by Type of Management (of individual ownership)
These statistics, referring to agricultural management entities which sell agricultural products, are compiled to obtain basic materials for agricultural policies. Based on the statistics on farm management and economy by type of farming (of individual ownership), receipts and disbursements are compiled by 13 types of farming, such as paddy farming, field farming, outdoor vegetable farming, etc. In addition, the average of all the agricultural management entities, including the other type of farming, is also compiled.
Statistics of Production Costs of Crops
These statistics, referring to agricultural management entities which grow and sell agricultural products, are compiled to obtain basic materials for such agricultural policies as income compensation to individual farmers, measures for production and improvement of management. Production cost of following crops is surveyed; rice, wheat, 2-row barley, 6-row barley, naked barley, soybean, sweet potato (for material), Irish potato (for material), sugar beet, sugarcane, rapeseed and buckwheat.
Statistics of Production Costs of Livestock
These statistics, referring to agricultural management entities which raise cows, cattle or pigs and sell them or their products, are compiled to obtain basic materials for such policies as stabilization of livestock prices, improvement of livestock business. Production cost of following livestock and products is surveyed; milk, veal cattle, young cattle, fattening cattle and fattening hogs.
Statistical Survey on Prices in Agriculture
This survey is conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with the aim to measure the movement of prices of agricultural inputs and outputs, and to compile national and regional agricultural price indices from prices of commodities directly related to agricultural management.This survey had been conducted as Survey of Agricultural and Forestry Prices since 1948 but changed to Statistical Survey on Prices in Agriculture in 2001.
The target of the survey is major shipping organisations in the shi (cities), machi (towns) and mura (villages) for agricultural products, and major retail stores for agricultural production materials. The execution of the survey is borne by the staff of local statistical office and entrusted private research organisation.
Forestry
Forestal management entities
Those who produce forest products or undertake forestal work by commission in the forest area meeting following criteria;
- (a) Operation using land of three hectares or larger whereon the owner can grow or cut trees (excluding cutting procured standing trees or bamboo only), where the owner has a "forestry operation plan" covering the survey date or operated forestry (growing or cutting) for 5 consecutive years before the survey date.
- (b) Commissioned operation of growing, log production, or log production from purchased standing trees, where the volume of production is 200 cubic metres or more in one year preceding the survey date.
Forest (sanrin) area
Forest (sanrin) area refers to the area of land for growing forests to obtain lumber, firewood, and charcoal, bamboo and other forest products en masse.
Forest area
Forest area refers to the area of land where trees and bamboos are growing en masse or to the land served for foresting trees and bamboos en masse, and equal to the total area of forest (sanrin) and to-be-forested land.
Forests operated area
Forests operated area refer to the forest area which "forestry households" are able to keep without other's help and are obtained from the areas of owned forests by excluding the areas that are lent to others, and by adding the areas rented from other's.
Current forest area
Current forest area is obtained from the forest area at the time of formulating the regional forest plan and the regional management plan, by adding to or subtracting changes in area occurred thereafter until the survey date, and further adding to it the forest area not included in the above plans.
Survey of Lumber (Fundamental Statistical Survey)
This survey is conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with the aim to clarify the production and shipping of logs and lumber, and to obtain basic materials for forestry policy. The survey is composed of the Basic Survey (annual survey), Monthly Survey of Sawing and Survey of Veneer and Plywood.
The survey is conducted as a sample survey with online, mail and enumerator survey method, covering sawmills, wood chip factories and veneer and plywood factories all over Japan.
Survey on Marketing of Lumber, having an aim to clarify the level and movement of price of lumber and the market structure of lumber, is conducted as the Survey of Lumber Prices (monthly) and the Survey on Market Structure of Lumber (every 5 years), and the results are, in conjunction with the results of the Survey of Lumber, compiled in the Report of Demand and Supply of Lumber.
Survey on Forestry Household Economy
The survey had been conducted annually until 2012 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in order to clarify the actual economic situation of forestry management entities and entities producing raised mushroom and to provide basic data for the policy on forestry. From 2013, however, the statistics on mushroom raising management were abolished and the survey was changed to be conducted every five years.
The survey covers forestry households with forest of 50 or more hectares and forestry households with forest of 20 or more but less than 50 hectares who are engaged in forestry work for 30 or more days during last year, and mushroom raisers whose sales of mushroom is 500 thousand yen or more.
The sample households are selected by systematic random sampling based on the results of the Census of Agriculture and Forestry. The survey is conducted by entering in a daily record book by each household, as well as by interview.
Census of Fisheries (Fundamental Statistical Survey)
This census has been conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, aiming at knowing the structure of fishery production and the structure of employment in fisheries, as well as finding out conditions surrounding fisheries including fishing villages and distribution and processing of fishery products. The census was first taken in 1949 and the second one in 1954. In 1958, however, it was conducted as the Temporary Survey on Coastal Fishery. From 1963, the census has been conducted every five years, the 2013 census being the thirteenth one. The 2013 census consisted of the Marine Fisheries Survey, the Inland Water Fisheries Survey and the Distribution and Processing Survey, covering fishery management entities, fishery management organisations including fisheries cooperatives, fish markets, freezing and cold storage factories and processing facilities for fishery products. The Marine Fisheries Survey and the Inland Water Fisheries Survey were conducted as of 1 November 2013 by the self-enumeration method and the Distribution and Processing Survey as of 1 January 2014 by the self-enumeration method or online method, through local statistical offices (partly through prefectures and municipalities).
Fishery management entities
Households and establishments engaged in catching or gathering marine animals and plants, or in aquaculture, during the one year preceding the survey date, for the purpose of marketing for profits or to make a living. However, independent management entities (households) who worked less than 30 days on marine water for fishery are excluded.
- Independent management entities
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Fishery management entities managed and operated by individuals.
- Organizational managing entities
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Fishery management entities other than independent management entities. They are classified in companies, fishery cooperatives, associations for fishery production, joint management, and others.
Survey on Trends of Fishery Work Force
This survey is conducted as of 1 November every year except the year of the quinquennial Census of Fisheries by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with the aim to comprehensively know the status and year-to-year changes in the structure of fishery employment. The survey was first taken in 1952 as the Survey on Fishery Workers, and the name was changed to the present one in 2004. The sample for the survey is taken from the population of the Census of Fisheries. The survey is conducted by the self-enumeration method through local offices.
Fishery workers
Fishery workers refer to persons 15 years old and over who were engaged in the fishery work at sea for 30 days or more during the last one year.
Survey on Marine Fishery Production (Fundamental Statistical Survey)
This survey is conducted every year by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with the aim to clarify actual conditions of marine fishery production and to obtain basic data for fisheries administration. The survey was initiated in 1951 as the Survey on Marine Fishes Production, and the name was changed to the present one in 1973. The survey is composed of the Survey on Fishery Operation, the Survey on Marine Fishes Production and the Survey on Marine Aquaculture Production, and covers marine fishery management entities and fish landing organisations. The survey is conducted by the self-enumeration method or the face-to-face interview method through local offices.
Survey on Inland Water Fishery and Aquaculture Production
This survey is conducted every year by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with the aim to clarify actual conditions of inland water fishery and aquaculture production and to obtain basic data for fisheries administration on inland water. The survey was first conducted in 1954. It consists of the Survey on Inland Water Fishery Production, the Survey on Inland Water Aquaculture Production and the Survey on Fishery Production in Three Major Lakes. The survey is conducted by the self-enumeration method through private business operators.
Survey on Inland Water Fishery Production
This survey covers inland water fishery cooperatives which control the rivers, lakes and ponds described in the following, and further covers fishery management entities which conduct inland water fisheries in those rivers, lakes and ponds. The rivers, lakes and ponds included in the survey are all those where fishery rights etc. are set up in the year of the Census of Fisheries. In other years, included are those rivers, lakes and ponds with 50 tons or more of annual fish catches where fishery rights are set up, and those rivers, lakes and ponds for which the annual survey is needed for nation's administrative purposes.
Survey on Inland Water Aquaculture Production
The survey is conducted against all inland water culture managements, which raise trout, sweet fishes, common carps and eels.
Survey on Fishery Production in Three Major Lakes
The survey is conducted on coastal fish market operators, fishery and aquaculture enterprises / households at the three major lakes, namely, Biwako, Kasumigaura and Kitaura.
Survey of Fishery Products Marketing
This survey is conducted with the aim to know price levels and demand-supply structure of fishery products and to provide fishery policy information for demand-supply plans, stabilising prices of fishery products, improving their marketing and promoting fishery product processing. The survey is composed of the Survey of Fishery Products Marketing in Landing Places, the Survey of Frozen Fishery Products Marketing and the Survey of Processed Fishery Products, and is conducted by the Fisheries Agency (by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for the Survey of Processed Fishery Products). The surveys are conducted by the self-enumeration method through private business operators. The Survey of Processed Fishery Products, however, allows the face-to-face method and is taken through local offices. The Survey of Fishery Products Marketing in Landing Places is conducted annually (monthly for some parts), and, selecting enumeration districts from the fishery districts for the Census of Fisheries and assuming them as fishing ports, covers wholesale dealers and fishery cooperatives. The Survey of Frozen Fishery Products Marketing is conducted monthly at major refrigerated or cold factories located in major fishery landing places and in major cities, wards and towns of consuming areas. The Survey of Processed Fishery Products is conducted annually in each prefecture at major management entities for onshore fishery processing which have processing factories or facilities for marine products for sale with full-time employees.
Statistical Survey on Fishery Management
This survey is conducted annually by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries aiming at clarifying actual conditions of marine fishery management entities including assets, balance and operation and obtaining data for promoting fisheries administration etc. The survey was originated as the Survey on Economy of Fishery Household in 1951, and renamed to the present one. The sample of the survey is drawn from the population of the Census of Fisheries, and it is conducted through local offices by the self-enumeration method (using such documents as tax return related books, account books or financial statements) or the method of face-to-face interview by local office staff.
Food Balance Sheet
The Food Balance Sheet shows the total amount of food supplied in Japan covering all stages from production to final consumption to clarify the overall trends of food demand-supply balance, the level and structure of nutrition, the changes in food consumption structures and so forth. It also provides the per capita net food and nutrition quantity and is utilised as the base for calculating food self-sufficiency ratios. It is compiled every fiscal year by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in conformity with the manual for making the food balance sheet prepared by FAO.
