The nation's food self-sufficiency rate on a calorie intake basis was 39 percent in fiscal 2015 for the sixth year in a row, falling short of the government target of 45 percent, the farm ministry said Tuesday.
In the year through March, the self-sufficiency rate remained unchanged from recent years as an increase in output of wheat and sugar beets was offset by a decrease in output of fishery products and consumption of rice, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said.
The food self-sufficiency rate refers to the ratio of consumed food supplied by domestic producers. The government in March 2015 reduced the target rate to 45 percent from the initial target of 50 percent amid criticism that it was unachievable.