I am Matsuda from the Research Council Secretariat of MAFF, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries. For the opening of JIRCAS International Symposium I’d like to say a few words.
The global population has been increasing and the demand of agricultural products has been increasing by the
development of developing countries and demand increase of bio fuels. And more over by the impact of the
climate change in global scale, the food supply is restrained. These structural factors of the tight food supply
and demand cause price hike of food and many problems are occurring in the world.
In such circumstances G20 Summit Meeting was held at Cannes, France, and in the communiqu? it is said that
increase of the agricultural production is a key to support world population and also it is said, particularly, we
determine to support the research and development of agricultural productivity and it was confirmed to
support agricultural research.
In our country, in the Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas, it is indicated to contribute to the
World Food Security by their technological cooperation to developing countries and contribute to global scale
environmental problem by positively implementing international research and technological cooperation and
also in the Basic Plan for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research, which was formed based on this, it is
said that the implementation of various technological development to solve global scale environmental
problem and to eradicate poverty and hunger is a very important target. To pursue nation’s fundamental
responsibility to secure the stable supply of the food for the future, it shows recognition that it is very
important to enhance agricultural productivity through international research and technological cooperation.
As you know our country has a long history of rice farming, it has been cultivated as stable food and the
technological development has been done by the predecessors. In present time, the importance has not been
changed. In 2004, by the international research, led by our country, the rice genome entire basic sequence
was encrypted and now technological development to effectively use gene functions are promoted.
On the other hand as a trend of international rice farming research, there is CARD, the Coalition for African
Rice Development, which was proposed at the fourth TICAD held in 2008 and initiatives taken by African
regional institutions and international institutions aiming to double the production of rice in 10 years in Africa.
There are also initiatives taken by CGIAR, to promote research by CGIAR Research Program aiming at
reduction of poverty in rural areas, food security, nutrition and health improvement, sustainable management
of natural resources. Among these, GRiSP, the Global Rice Science Partnership that copes with rice farming
is the program initiated at the very beginning and has high international expectation.As a research institution to conduct comprehensive R&D of AAF in developing countries and also as a focal
point of the CGIAR, JIRCAS works as a foothold for our country’s international agricultural research,
collaborating with overseas research institutions and contributing to solve world food and environmental
problem and is actively involved in international rice farming research as a member of GRiSP and CARD.
Today and tomorrow, this symposium will be held and we would like to unite all our research effort for the
rice farming and in order to solve the issue of poverty and hunger as well as global environment and also to
contribute to the rice-related technology development in the world. We will be able to talk about the future
direction through this symposium. There are many movements surrounding international agricultural, forestry,
and fishery research. Thus in order to promote research and development further amongst the related
institutions and the researchers here, we think it is very important to have frank opinions, to have discussion
around the theme and to share our understanding.
At the very end, in order to solve many global problems we have to strengthen the cooperation in and out of
the country and the role of the researchers who are involved in this field is very important. So by hoping for
the success of this symposium and by praying for the further development of the research, now I would like to
conclude my speech.