information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
25 Novembre 2013
November 23, 2013
Cotton crop harvested in Fukushima
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131123_23.html
Members of a non-profit organization and volunteers have harvested cotton in a disaster-hit town in Fukushima Prefecture.
The NPO started cultivating cotton last year, making use of farm land that became idle after the March 11 tsunami and nuclear accident. The purpose is to help revive agriculture in the region.
In May, the group planted cotton on a total of 30 ares in 3 locations around the town of Hirono.
The crop is now ready to be harvested.
More than 70 volunteers, including people from Tokyo, joined local residents and carefully hand-picked the hanging cotton balls.
No pesticide or chemical fertilizer was used to grow the cotton variety that turns brown as it grows.
A woman from Tokyo said she had never harvested cotton and it was interesting to see that so much cotton had grown. She said their efforts should contribute to the reconstruction of the region.
The NPO is growing cotton on a total of 3 hectares of land, including that in Hirono Town, this year, and aims to harvest 1 ton of cotton, or 3 times as much as last year's harvest.
The cotton will be shipped as a raw material to make T shirts and towels