Sizing up China: Better technology helps Chinese vegetable imports thrive04/23/2007
BY KIM HAN IL, STAFF WRITER

Editor's note: This is part of a series on the growing influence of China in bilateral relations as well as Chinese communities in Japan.

Peeled potatoes and chopped leeks from Chiyoda Bussan Co.'s factory in China's Shandong province await shipment at a warehouse in Tokyo's Ota Ward. (Kim Han Il)

日本人一直重視蔬菜的新鮮程度。有句古語的意思是說，食用方圓12公里以內出產的糧食蔬菜，可使人健康長壽。

Today, advances in processing, refrigeration and transportation technologies have widened the geographical reach considerably.

如今，隨著加工、冷凍和運輸技術的發展，這個地理范圍已擴大了許多。

About 1,700 kilometers west of Tokyo, Chiyoda Bussan Co.'s factory in Qingdao, Shandong province, is producing stripped lettuce, chopped leeks and peeled potatoes.

在東京以西1700公里之外的山東青島，日本千代田物產株式會社下屬的芳野食品有限公司的工人正在剝生菜、切韭菜、削土豆。

The company has developed technologies to keep raw, precut vegetables fresh for about three weeks, long enough to export them to Japan.

這家公司開發了能夠把切好的新鮮蔬菜保存大約3周的技術。3周時間足夠把它們運到日本。

Normally, leafy vegetables such as lettuce, once cut, are good only for several days. But at least five days are required for quarantine and ocean transportation alone.

在一般條件下，生菜等闊葉蔬菜一經切割就只能保鮮幾天。但是，光檢驗檢疫和海運就至少需要5天時間。

While the amount of exports is still limited, President Hiroshi Yoshino said Chiyoda Bussan has received inquiries from about 500 potential clients in Japan, such as restaurant chains and catering services.

盡管蔬菜出口量現在仍有限，但千代田物產株式會社社長芳野博說，連鎖餐廳和餐飲公司等大約500個日本潛在客戶已經向該公司咨詢業務。

The factory, which started operations in 2005, uses vegetables from 35 contracted local farmers.

"The farmland in Shandong province is fertile, teeming with earthworms," Yoshino said. "It reminds me of Japanese soil in the good old days."

他說：“山東土地肥沃，蚯蚓很多。這使我不禁想起從前日本的田野。”

For Japan, China is already the largest supplier of vegetables, with Shandong province holding the top share.

對日本而言，中國已經成為其最大的蔬菜供應國，其中山東省的出口量最大。

In 2006, Japan imported fresh and processed vegetables worth about 228 billion yen from China, such as leeks, garlic, satoimo taro roots and shiitake mushrooms, according to Japan External Trade Organization. The value was more than triple the 70 billion yen from the United States, the second-largest supplier.

根據日本貿易振興會提供的統計數據，2006年日本從中國進口了價值約2280億日元的韭菜、大蒜、芋頭和香菇等新鮮和加工的蔬菜。這一進口額是日本第二大蔬菜供應國美國的3倍多，日本去年大約從美國進口了價值700億日元的蔬菜。

Like manufactured goods from China, the country's farm produce deeply undercut domestic rivals on price. Still, many Japanese consumers have reservations about the safety of Chinese vegetables.
Industry officials said concerns stem largely from the discovery of residual pesticides from frozen Chinese spinach in 2002.

與中國工業制成品一樣，中國農產品因價格低而搶了日本農產品的生意。然而，許多日本消費者對中國蔬菜的安全性持保留態度。有官員表示，這種擔憂在很大程度上源于2002年中國冷凍菠菜被查出殺蟲劑殘留量超標一事。

Yoshino of Chiyoda Bussan said, however, the Chinese government has introduced strict controls on pesticides at export-oriented vegetable processing facilities.

He said Japan should join hands with China to secure farm products as the nation's food self-sufficiency ratio has been declining.

但芳野博說，中國政府已經對加工出口蔬菜的企業實行嚴格的農藥檢驗措施。他說，鑒于日本糧食自給率正逐年下降，日本應當與中國攜手合作，保證農產品安全。

As farmers in Japan age, many have not been able to find successors and are abandoning their land because they can no longer work it.

日本農民日趨老齡化，許多人找不到接班人，而他們自己再也干不動了，他們的土地不斷撂荒。

Japan is also facing growing pressure from agricultural exporters, such as the United States and Australia, to open up its markets. Sawada of Delica Foods said, however, that Japan may not be able to count on China as a stable source of vegetables forever.

此外，美國和澳大利亞等農產品出口國對日本的壓力也不斷增大，他們要求日本開放市場。但日本Delica食品公司的經理澤田清春說，日本也許不能永遠把中國當作穩定的蔬菜供應國。

In 2004, China for the first time imported more agricultural products than it exported.

"If China's domestic demand continues to expand, there could be no vegetables left for exports to Japan," Sawada said. "Japan should raise the competitiveness of its agricultural sector, with emphasis on high-end products."

2004年，中國農產品貿易首次出現逆差。澤田說：“如果中國國內的蔬菜需求持續增長，那么將沒有可供出口日本的蔬菜。日本應當提高本國農業部門的競爭力，重點生產高端產品。”