Kujukuri Town, Chiba Prefecture ("Kujukuri Town") and Toyota Tsusho Corporation ("Toyota Tsusho") announced today that they concluded a comprehensive partnership agreement on December 16, 2024, regarding agricultural promotion and regional revitalization in Kujukuri Town.

As the average age of farmers rises and the number of farmers declines, it is becoming increasingly necessary to improve productivity by increasing the scale of farmland and making farming more efficient in order to maintain and develop agriculture. The same situation is occurring in Kujukuri Town.

Toyota Tsusho is working to ensure a stable supply of rice for the food service and other industries through an integrated approach from breed development to sales of the high-yielding Shikiyutaka* rice variety, which produces more rice than standard varieties. Toyota Tsusho has been growing Shikiyutaka on a trial basis since this year with the cooperation of local farmers in Kujukuri Town, and has confirmed that it has a much higher yield than the Koshihikari variety that has been grown there until now.

Based on these results, the following agreement was concluded with the aim of further collaboration between the two parties in areas such as agricultural production and the distribution of agricultural products, including the promotion of Shikiyutaka, in order to accelerate the agricultural development of Kujukuri Town.

Purpose of the agreement:
Contributing to the promotion of agriculture in Kujukuri Town by setting and achieving goals for resolving local agricultural issues through close collaboration via dialogue

Content of partnership agreement:
(1) Matters relating to agricultural production
(2) Matters relating to the distribution of agricultural products
(3) Matters relating to the training and securing of local agricultural workers
(4) Matters relating to the management and conservation of abandoned farmland
(5) Matters relating to environmental conservation activities through agriculture
(6) Other matters that contribute to achieving the purpose of the agreement

▶Atsushi Asaoka, Mayor of Kujukuri Town
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to introduce Shikiyutaka, which led to the conclusion of this agreement. I am pleased to be able to work together with Toyota Tsusho to promote new initiatives for the promotion of local agriculture using their wealth of knowledge and resources. Agriculture is the source of vitality for local communities and an important industry that is deeply rooted in our lives. I would like to express my sincere respect for the efforts and passion of the farmers supporting this project.

Supporting local agriculture requires not only the efforts of producers, but also partnerships with companies and the government. In particular, I think it is important to consider specific measures for branding agricultural products that make the most of the characteristics of the local area and for achieving sustainable agriculture. I would like to create new value through collaboration, not only for the promotion of local agriculture, but also for the revitalization of the entire town. I sincerely hope that we can continue to build a good relationship between Kujukuri Town and Toyota Tsusho.

▶Tatsuya Watanuki, Executive Vice President of Toyota Tsusho Corporation
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the producers in Kujukuri Town for growing the high-yielding Shikiyutaka rice brand on a trial basis. I am very happy to hear that the yield exceeded expectations thanks to the efforts of the producers who adopted the brand. The mission of our food and agribusiness can be summed up as “Make people happy and lead to a prosperous future through the power of food!” We will use this comprehensive partnership agreement as an opportunity to contribute to the agricultural sector, not only by offering Shikiyutaka, but also by making use of our strengths as a general trading company. I hope that through this partnership agreement, we can work with Kujukuri Town to effectively utilize human, material and intellectual resources to encourage the promotion of local agriculture, revitalize the local community, and contribute to sustainable development. I look forward to continuing to grow and develop together.

*Shikiyutaka is a hybrid rice variety that combines high yield with good taste. It was developed by the Research Institute of Rice Production & Technology, Nagoya University, and Toyota Tsusho based on the Koshihikari variety. It is characterized by its strong sweetness and chewy texture. It yields about 1.3 times more than standard varieties. Shikiyutaka is a registered trademark of Toyota Tsusho.