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)

Japanese have long valued vegetables for their freshness. An old saying recommended eating harvests within a 12-kilometer radius to keep fit and live long.

日本人一直重视蔬菜的新鲜程度。有句古语的意思是说，食用方圆12公里以内出产的粮食蔬菜，可使人健康长寿。

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

如今，随着加工、冷冻和运输技术的发展，这个地理范围已扩大了许多。

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.

在东京以西1700公里之外的山东青岛，日本千代田物产株式会社下属的芳野食品有限公司的工人正在剥生菜、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.

这家公司开发了能够把切好的新鲜蔬菜保存大约3周的技术。3周时间足够把它们运到日本。

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.

在一般条件下，生菜等阔叶蔬菜一经切割就只能保鲜几天。但是，光检验检疫和海运就至少需要5天时间。

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.

尽管蔬菜出口量现在仍有限，但千代田物产株式会社社长芳野博说，连锁餐厅和餐饮公司等大约500个日本潜在客户已经向该公司咨询业务。

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."

他说：“山东土地肥沃，蚯蚓很多。这使我不禁想起从前日本的田野。”

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

对日本而言，中国已经成为其最大的蔬菜供应国，其中山东省的出口量最大。

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.

根据日本贸易振兴会提供的统计数据，2006年日本从中国进口了价值约2280亿日元的韭菜、大蒜、芋头和香菇等新鲜和加工的蔬菜。这一进口额是日本第二大蔬菜供应国美国的3倍多，日本去年大约从美国进口了价值700亿日元的蔬菜。

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.

与中国工业制成品一样，中国农产品因价格低而抢了日本农产品的生意。然而，许多日本消费者对中国蔬菜的安全性持保留态度。有官员表示，这种担忧在很大程度上源于2002年中国冷冻菠菜被查出杀虫剂残留量超标一事。

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.

但芳野博说，中国政府已经对加工出口蔬菜的企业实行严格的农药检验措施。他说，鉴于日本粮食自给率正逐年下降，日本应当与中国携手合作，保证农产品安全。

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.

日本农民日趋老龄化，许多人找不到接班人，而他们自己再也干不动了，他们的土地不断撂荒。

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，美国和澳大利亚等农产品出口国对日本的压力也不断增大，他们要求日本开放市场。但日本Delica食品公司的经理泽田清春说，日本也许不能永远把中国当作稳定的蔬菜供应国。

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，中国农产品贸易首次出现逆差。泽田说：“如果中国国内的蔬菜需求持续增长，那么将没有可供出口日本的蔬菜。日本应当提高本国农业部门的竞争力，重点生产高端产品。”