According to the statistics, there are very few organically certified fruits and vegetables in Japan. This is a result of how the regulations on organic certification were introduced into Japan as well as the nature of the history of Japan's organic agriculture (i.e. the presence of alternative marketing such as Teikei).
While those consumers who have been committed to organics for a long time will most likely stick to Teikei, home delivery, and collective purchasing (most of them are not certified), some may shift away to retail shops and supermarkets for convenience. Large-scale customers (e.g. supermarkets, restaurant chains, processed vendors) that seek to purchase organic agricultural products from the market in blocks will undoubtedly try to get a hold of a large quantity through "negotiated transactions" (mutual agreement) from both inside and outside the country (for both certified and non certified produce).
The demand for organic fruits is high. Consumers demand high quality and are very sensitive to taste. When exporting to the Japanese market, the product quality, in particular in reference to residual pesticides, must be ensured. Furthermore, we, IFOAM Japan, would like to request that only the products that are not domestically produced in Japan be exported to Japan.
