MEMBER VOICE — JAPAN

JA Zenchu — Japan’s national agricultural cooperative union and WFO member — reports growing concerns over fuel, fertiliser, and packaging costs, as the Japanese government moves swiftly to protect supply chains.

What farmers are facing

Japanese farmers are facing mounting concerns over the supply and pricing of key agricultural inputs — fuel, fertilisers, animal feed, and petroleum-derived materials including coating, packaging and plastic products — in the wake of the Middle East crisis.

According to JA Zenchu’s assessment, the short-term impact on overall supply volumes remains limited, owing to domestic stockpiles and diversified procurement sources. However, the organisation has flagged the long-term price trajectory and procurement reliability of these inputs as requiring close and sustained monitoring — particularly for fuels used in agricultural machinery and greenhouses, and for fertiliser raw materials destined for the autumn planting season.

How the Japanese government is responding

The Japanese government has responded with a series of rapid measures. From 16 March, it began releasing private oil reserves (15 days’ worth), followed by the release of one month’s worth of national reserves — drawn from a total stockpile equivalent to 4.8 months of supply. Simultaneously, a government fund of 280 billion JPY (approximately 1.77 billion USD) was activated to subsidise 100% of petroleum product costs exceeding a set target price. On 24 March, this fund was reinforced with an additional 800 billion JPY (5.1 billion USD) from the FY2025 budget reserve.

Agriculture was explicitly placed on the Cabinet’s agenda on 24 March, when the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries stated that, while Middle Eastern imports account for a limited share of Japan’s fertilizer procurement and spring planting supplies are already secured, the government will closely monitor fertiliser raw material prices ahead of the autumn season.

On 31 March, the Prime Minister addressed the Cabinet directly on agriculture:

“We have observed cases where fuels for agricultural usage are not sufficiently reaching all areas. We will take all possible measures to ensure a stable supply of strategic materials such as naphtha, which may be subject to supply constraints, including agriculture and food packaging.”— Prime Minister of Japan, Cabinet meeting, 31 March 2026

The same day, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of a dedicated Cabinet task force to conduct a comprehensive review of strategic materials supply — explicitly including agricultural and food packaging inputs — and to develop stabilisation policies.

JA Zenchu’s response and next steps

JA Zenchu has already begun information-sharing and coordination with the Japanese government. An organisational emergency impact survey is now underway across the JA Group network, with an official position and advocacy paper expected by early May — timed to amplify farmers’ voices at regional and global level in the May–June window. This report is part of an ongoing series in which WFO is gathering and amplifying contributions from its member organisations worldwide in response to the Middle East crisis.

About JA Zenchu

Founded in 1954, JA Zenchu is the policy and advocacy body of the JA Group — Japan’s national agricultural cooperative network, representing over 4 million farming households through 584 local cooperatives across all 47 prefectures. As Japan’s principal voice of farmers at the national and international level, JA Zenchu advises the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and represents Japanese agriculture within the WFO.