農地集積バンク 利用促進の努力が足りない

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Farmland accumulation banks must do more to consolidate farming plots
農地集積バンク　利用促進の努力が足りない

The farmlands intermediary administration institute system, also known as the farmland accumulation bank, that was created in each of the nation’s 47 prefectures as part of the government’s growth strategy has been performing poorly.
　政府の成長戦略の一環として全都道府県に創設された農地中間管理機構（農地集積バンク）の実績が低調である。

The thinking behind the system is to borrow plots of farmland from small-plot farmers and others and then rent them out in bulk. High expectations have been placed on the system as a promising means of increasing the area of farmland per farming unit.
　小規模農家などから借りた農地をまとめて貸し出す仕組みで、農地大型化の切り札として期待されている。

The area of farmland leased during the first fiscal year of the leasing facilitation program, however, was no more than 24,000 hectares nationwide, compared to the government-set target of 150,000 hectares, so the achievement rate stood at a mere 16 percent. The percentage was 1 percent or less in 10 prefectures, including Tokyo, meaning the program was hardly utilized, indicating a lack of effort on the part of the intermediary administration institutes.
　ところが、初年度の貸し出し面積は、政府目標の１５万ヘクタールに対して２・４万ヘクタールにとどまり、達成率はわずか１６％だった。１０都府県では１％以下と、ほとんど利用されておらず、努力不足が否めない。

If measures to make good use of the institutes are taken with the aim of aggregating parcels of farmland to large-plot farmers or companies operating farming businesses, Japan’s agricultural productivity will be enhanced and its international competitiveness strengthened. The leasing scheme can also be conducive to reducing abandoned farmland and reinvigorating regional economies.
　機構を活用し、大規模農家や企業に農地を集約すれば、農業生産性が向上し、国際競争力を強化できる。耕作放棄地の縮小や、地方経済の活性化にもつながろう。

The central and local governments must try to find the causes of the poor performance of the farmland leasing system and work out measures to improve the situation and expedite its utilization.
　政府と自治体は、低迷の原因を分析して改善策を講じ、利用促進に努めるべきだ。

To facilitate farmland consolidation via the intermediary institutes, the government has brought about an institutional change to enable leasing and borrowing of farmland without the permission of a relevant agricultural committee.
　機構による農地集約を促進する狙いで、政府は各地の農業委員会の許可がなくても農地を貸借できるよう制度を改めた。

The area of farmland that farming companies and others said they wanted to borrow totaled 230,000 hectares, but plots of farmland available for leasing contracts were no more than 29,000 hectares. Sufficient results could not be achieved.
　企業などが借りたいと希望した農地は２３万ヘクタールに上ったが、貸し出せる農地が２・９万ヘクタールしか集まらず、実績は伸びなかった。

A major factor behind the dearth of prospective lenders of farmland is that many farmers tend to shy away from leasing their plots, as they often consider them precious property handed down by ancestors for generations.
　貸し手不足の背景には、先祖伝来の土地を他人に預けることをためらう農家が多い事情がある。

Boosting understanding

In addition, there are many instances of misunderstanding that farming plots, once leased, will not be returned to them. It is actually possible to have the contracts end after the agreed-upon period, such as 10 years.
　１０年などの契約期間を過ぎれば貸し出しを打ち切れるのに、一度貸したら戻ってこなくなる、といった誤解も少なくない。

In Toyama Prefecture, where the achievement rate was the highest in the country at 99 percent, 70,000 copies of a booklet explaining the leasing system through manga were distributed to alleviate farmers’ anxieties.
　目標達成率が９９％と全国首位だった富山県では、農家の不安を和らげるため、漫画形式のパンフレットを７万部作成していた。

Reportedly, farmers typically said they “feel at ease,” as they easily understood how the system works. This can be used as a good reference for other local entities.
　農家からは「仕組みがよくわかり、安心できた」といった反響があったという。他の自治体の参考になるだろう。

Many local areas with high achievement rates used their own initiatives even before the leasing intermediary institutes were launched, such as listening to the intentions of companies and others wishing to enter the farming sector, while engaging in such activities as finding farming plots suitable for leasing contracts.
　達成率の高かった自治体には、機構ができる前から農業参入を希望する企業などの意向を聞き、貸し出しに適した農地を探すなど、独自の取り組みを進めてきたところが多い。

In finding prospective lenders, it is necessary to grasp the circumstances of individual farming households, such as whether they have successors. Boosting the institutes’ cooperation with city, town and village governments is also important.
　貸し手を効率的に探すには、後継者の有無など個々の農家の事情を把握する必要がある。市町村との連携強化も重要となる。

There also are many farmers who opt to hold on to their farms, even if they are not being used, because they hope to profit on future sales in the event of the farmland being converted for residential or commercial purposes. Low tax rates on farmland are fueling this tendency.
　宅地や商業地への転用を期待して、使わない農地を持ち続けている例も多い。農地の税負担の軽さが、これを助長している。

The government’s Regulatory Reform Council recently came up with a set of proposals calling for such steps as raising tax rates on abandoned farmland and alleviation of tax burdens on the part of those farmers who lease their plots. These proposals should be positively considered.
　政府の規制改革会議は、耕作放棄地への課税強化や貸し手農家の税負担軽減を提言した。実現するよう前向きに検討したい。

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi’s suggestion that preferential treatment in budgetary and other matters be offered to prefectures achieving good performances in the leasing facilitation program, however, is questionable. We fear such measures would lead to wasteful use of taxpayers’ money.
　林農相が、実績を上げた都道府県に予算配分などで配慮する考えを示したのは疑問だ。予算の無駄遣いにつながるのではないか。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 21, 2015)