The government Friday lifted restrictions for shipments of spinach and "kakina," a leafy vegetable, grown in Gunma Prefecture and milk produced in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture.
The government Friday lifted restrictions for shipments of spinach and "kakina," a leafy vegetable, grown in Gunma Prefecture and milk produced in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture.
Shipment of the milk and produce from these regions had been prohibited because radioactive substances exceeding the safety standards of the Food Sanitation Law had been detected in the prefecture.
It was the first time shipment bans were lifted since they were imposed on March 21 on leafy vegetables grown in four prefectures and milk produced in Fukushima Prefecture.
On Monday, the government decided if the amount of radioactive substances is lower than the safety standards on three consecutive inspections, the bans will be lifted.
In Gunma Prefecture, radioactive substances exceeding safety standards were detected in spinach and kakina harvested on March 19.
However, the amount of radioactive substances fell below the safety standards in three subsequent inspections conducted by Friday.
Radioactive substances found in milk produced in Fukushima Prefecture exceeded the standards in inspections held on March 18 and subsequent days. Many of the samples that topped the standards were taken from Iwaki and other municipalities that are close to the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
However, the amount of radioactive substances in milk produced in seven municipalities in the Aizu region in the western part of Fukushima Prefecture were lower than the standards in the first inspection and continued to be less than the standards in following inspections.
When Tokyo set the new regulations Monday, it made a stipulation that the central government will suspend shipments or lift shipment bans for each municipality.
As of Friday, shipments are still restricted on leafy vegetables and some other products in the entire Fukushima Prefecture and on spinach and some other products in Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures and parts of Chiba Prefecture.
In Gunma Prefecture, a 56-year-old farmer in Ota was putting spinach into boxes in a greenhouse when he was told the ban was lifted.
"It's good," he said. "(But) it just gets harder from now on. I wonder how my spinach can acquire reasonable selling prices even if I ship them."
Before the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake, spinach was priced about 140 yen per 200 grams. After the nuclear crisis erupted at the Fukushima plant, prices plummeted to about 40 yen.
For the farmer in Ota, at least 70 yen per 200 grams is necessary to pay wages to three part-time workers and make a profit. After the shipment ban was imposed on March 21, the farmer said he suffered losses of more than 3 million yen ($38,000) until Friday.