農業の成長戦略 「所得倍増」へ農地集積を急げ

The Yomiuri Shimbun May 19, 2013
Farmland integration needed to double income of farmers in light of TPP entry
農業の成長戦略　「所得倍増」へ農地集積を急げ（5月18日付・読売社説）

How should Japan revitalize its agriculture to prepare for further market liberalization? The government is likely to face a test on whether its efforts to turn the nation’s agricultural sector from one centering on small farms into one featuring more highly productive large-scale agricultural businesses will prove viable.
　一層の市場開放に備えて、日本農業をどう再生するか。小規模農家から生産性の高い大規模営農へ、転換を促す施策の実効性が問われよう。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday unveiled aggressive agricultural reform plans under the second part of his growth strategy.
　安倍首相は、成長戦略第２弾の柱として「攻めの農業」の実現を打ち出した。

“We’ll definitely carry out agricultural structural reform this time around,” Abe said. “Without farmland integration, we can’t improve productivity.”
「農業の構造改革を今度こそ確実にやり遂げる。農地の集積なくして、生産性向上はない」と述べた。

We believe his envisaged reform is on the right course.
改革の方向性は間違っていない。

The reform plans feature a new intermediate system for farmland, which Abe called a farmland integration bank. The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry is aiming to launch the system as soon as possible.
　目玉となるのは、首相が「農地集積バンク」と呼んだ新たな農地仲介制度である。農林水産省が早期導入を目指している。

Govt eyes new farmland body

The plans call for prefectural agricultural public corporations, which currently handle trading of farmland, to be given greater authority and transformed into a new public body that will manage farmland. The body would lease farmland from small farmers and others and introduce it to potential tenants--farmers seeking to expand farming business and agricultural corporations.
　現在、農地売買などを行っている都道府県の農業公社に強い権限を与え、農地を管理する機構に衣替えする。機構が小規模農家などから土地をいったん借り上げ、大規模化を目指す農家や農業法人に橋渡しする仕組みだ。

In the past 20 years, deserted farmland doubled to a total area almost equivalent to that of Shiga Prefecture. This is a serious matter.
　耕作せずに放置されたままの放棄地は２０年で倍増し、滋賀県全体とほぼ同じ規模にまで拡大した。深刻な状況といえる。

The focal point of the reform is whether the new system will be able to foster large farmers.
　焦点は、新制度が大規模農家の育成につながるかどうかだ。

The failure to find tenants would mean the new body would need to pay rent for the farmland. It would also have to cover the cost of maintenance and management of the land as well as the development of irrigation systems.
　借り手が見つからないと機構が農地を丸抱えすることになり、その間も、機構は農地の貸し手に賃料を払い続ける必要がある。農地を維持管理し、用排水路を整備する費用もかかる。

In this case, it is estimated the body would have to shoulder hundreds of billions of yen a year in costs. If this intermediate program proves unsuccessful, it would end up injecting massive public funds without producing results.
　財政負担は年数千億円と見込まれている。仲介がうまく進まなければ、巨額の国費を投入するだけで終わりかねない。

To secure farmland tenants, it is essential that the government draw up a measure to encourage companies and other entities to enter the agricultural sector. The body will also need to offer prime farmland, which can be integrated easily.
　借り手を確保するには、企業などの新規参入を後押しする政策が不可欠だ。集約しやすい優良農地を仲介することも求められる。

Unless the government reviews the role of its agricultural panel tasked with leasing and trading of farmland, the panel could become an obstacle to farmland integration.
　農地の賃貸や売買の許可権限を持つ農業委員会を見直さないと、農地集積の支障となろう。

As long as the prime minister regards agriculture as a key sector in his growth strategy, we urge the farm ministry to devise effective systems that may encroach on the vested interests of entities such as agricultural cooperatives.
　農業を成長戦略と位置付ける以上、農水省はメリハリの利いた制度設計を行い、農協などの既得権に切り込んでもらいたい。

In announcing the next stage of his economic policy, Abe set a goal of doubling farming income during a 10-year period. This is an ambitious goal that will require efforts also by farmers and other players in the sector, propelled by effective measures.
　首相は「１０年間で農業・農村の所得倍増目標」を掲げたが、効果的な施策をテコに農業従事者も努力しないと高いハードルだ。

Measures should be consistent

Meanwhile, questions have been raised about the Liberal Democratic Party’s move to consider expanding the current income-support program for certain farming households, such as rice producers, and launching a new program to provide all farmers who maintain farmland with subsidies.
　自民党がコメ農家などを対象とする所得補償制度を拡充し、農地を維持している全農家に補助金を支給する制度を検討していることも問題である。

If even small farmers are eligible to receive subsidies, the government is unlikely to find farmers willing to lease their farmland. We believe measures that could hamper the government’s initiative in farmland integration should be reviewed.
　零細農家でも補助金をもらえるなら、農地の出し手は増えまい。農地集約の方針に妨げとなる政策は再考すべきではないか。

For a long time, the government has failed to expand domestic farmland. Ahead of Japan’s entry into talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, the government must speed up work on agricultural reform.
　農地の規模拡大は長年実現できなかった。環太平洋経済連携協定（ＴＰＰ）交渉参加をにらみ、改革を加速しなければならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 18, 2013)
（2013年5月18日01時17分 読売新聞）