TOKYO, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Japan's agriculture ministry said Monday that the country's food self-sufficiency rate stood at 38 percent in fiscal 2022, unchanged from the previous year but still near a record low.
The figure in terms of calorie intake for the year that ended in March was up one percentage point from a record low of 37 percent logged in fiscal 2020, but well below the government's target of 45 percent by fiscal 2030, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
For fiscal 2022, the number of shellfish and fish caught and the amount of wheat harvested dropped, while the consumption of oils and fats, which Japan largely imports, also decreased, resulting in the same rate as the previous year, the ministry said.
By food items, the self-sufficiency rate, on a weight basis, was 99 percent for rice, up one point, while wheat fell two points to 15 percent, and soybeans one point to 6 percent.
The rate for vegetables fell one point to 79 percent, while shellfish and sea fish dropped four points to 54 percent.