Sojitz Corporation (“Sojitz”) has acquired 14.7% of stock issued by Farm Alliance Management Co., Ltd. (“FAM”), an agricultural business venture, and has concluded a capital and business tie-up with the company in order to further develop FAM and their farming-related businesses.

FAM’s main business involves the development and operation of Farm Records, an agricultural information management system. The system is designed to help farmers meet the standards of one of the leading international food safety certification systems for farms, GLOBALG.A.P. Additionally, FAM provides consulting to farmers looking to acquire GLOBALG.A.P. certification and sell safe and stable produce.

Amidst growing demand for food safety in recent years, certification programs like GLOBALG.A.P. are increasingly required by suppliers working in produce distribution both inside and outside of Japan. GLOBALG.A.P. is now used in over 120 countries worldwide, with over 160,000 total farms certified. In Japan, however, this number still hovers at around only 280 farms. Since FAM’s establishment in 2012, the company has helped spread the use of certification systems such as this through the development of their own agricultural information management system. The system is designed to help farmers acquire and maintain GLOBALG.A.P. certification, as well as achieve efficient production. They are now working to expand the business into a franchise all over Japan.

Sojitz hopes that by using this contract to expand our domestic agriculture business laterally and promote the further spread of FAM’s agricultural information management system, we can enable Japan to bring its level of food safety management up international standards. Additionally, we hope to use Sojitz Group’s global network to support the procurement and overseas transmission of efficient and effective agricultural tools and materials. By utilizing our broad expertise and unique network developed through overseas business, we will work towards not only exporting produce abroad, but also towards helping FAM launch their business overseas.

As Japan’s agricultural industry faces remarkable changes brought on by the conclusion of TPP negotiations and the further globalization of Japanese foods, the Japanese government has set a goal of \1 trillion in agricultural exports. Concerns about food safety and traceability of products also continue to increase amidst frequent produce and foodstuff distribution accidents. This has created greater need for GLOBALG.A.P. certification among famers and companies in Japan. Through our tie-up with FAM, Sojitz hopes to help revitalize local communities and stimulate Japan’s agriculture industry through globalization.

Farm Alliance Management Corporation – Company Overview

Established	March 2012
Head Office	4-5, Kudanminami 3-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Bancho Building 3F A    〒102-0074
Total Capitalization	￥93,752,500
Main Businesses	・Expansion of their farming franchise ・Agricultural consulting ・Agricultural Information Management System service ・Sale and wholesale of produce
Representative Director	Takeshi Matsumoto, President & CEO
Ownership	West Japan Railway Company (46.7%), Takeshi Matsumoto (17.7%), Nippon Information Development Co., Ltd. (9.8%), and others.

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