Fukushima rice

October 9, 2017

Rice harvested near Fukushima accident site

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20171009_11/

A farmer in a town near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has harvested rice for the 1st time since the 2011 accident.

Noboru Watanabe harvested the crop from his paddy in the town of Tomioka on Monday, with local officials looking on.

Following the nuclear accident, the central government issued evacuation orders to all parts of the town. The orders were lifted for most areas in April.

Watanabe is taking part in a project to grow rice on a trial basis to confirm the safety of local produce.

He says he has removed topsoil from his paddy for decontamination and installed electric fences to keep wild boars and other animals away so that he could restart growing.

Watanabe says that although this is his 1st time in 7 years to harvest the paddy, he still remembers the satisfaction of growing a successful crop. He says he also wants to plant seedlings in his paddy next year and later.