Japan's exports of agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products hit a record high in 2021 as demand for dining out recovered in the United States and China where the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic waned, the agriculture ministry said Friday. Preliminary data from the ministry showed that Japan's farm and food exports grew 25.6 pct from the previous year to 1,238.5 billion yen, achieving the government's target of 1 trillion yen in annual exports. The government aims to expand the figure to 2 trillion yen in 2025 and 5 trillion yen in 2030, promoting mass production of items that meet demand from overseas consumers.
In 2021, shipments to mainland China, which replaced Hong Kong as the biggest export market for Japanese farm and food products, jumped 35.2 pct to 222.4 billion yen, led by brisk demand for Japanese whisky as well as scallops for restaurants. Exports to Hong Kong rose 6 pct to 219 billion yen. Exports to the United States soared 41.2 pct to 168.3 billion yen thanks to robust beef demand.