Japan's agriculture ministry to help farmers cope with extreme heat
At the first meeting of the taskforce on Thursday, Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro instructed officials to encourage farmers to conserve water and to let them know about a subsidy program for water pumps. The officials were also asked to try to persuade farmers to switch to heat-resistant varieties.
The ministry says rice farmers in some parts of the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions have reported poor crop growth. It adds that the extreme heat has so far only had a limited impact on farming in the rest of the country.
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