Japan Records 25 Percent Drop in Farm Workers
The precipitous fall represents part of a broader pattern fueled by workforce aging in an industry critical to national food security, media reported Saturday.
The mean age of primary agricultural workers edged downward to 67.6 from 67.8 in 2020, marking the first reduction since 1995, reflecting retirement impacts, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries noted.
In total, agricultural worker numbers decreased by 342,000 since the previous census, with comparable statistics extending back to 1985.
The farmworker shortage underscores mounting challenges in recruiting fresh talent to the industry, particularly younger demographics, sparking alarm over escalating agricultural land abandonment.
Farm business entities, including corporations, fell 23.0%, dropping below 1 million for the first time since comparable data was available in 2005.
Conversely, cooperative business entities, excluding individual operators, rose 2.9% to 39,000.
Agricultural land consolidation accelerated, with average cultivated area per operation expanding 0.6 hectares to 3.7 hectares (1.5 acres to 9.1 acres).
For the first time, over half of the cultivated area was operated by large-scale farm businesses that worked 20 hectares or more.
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