Key Facts
• July 18: Record-breaking heat continues across Japan, impacting agriculture and food supply.
• Supermarkets in Sapporo report shortages of cold foods like ice cream and tokoroten.
• Lettuce and cabbage crops in Date City are severely affected by heat, with some rotting.
• Farmer Sugawara Toshikazu reports lettuce production in June was nearly wiped out.
• Eastern Hokkaido’s Bihoro Town faces drought, threatening onion crop growth.
• Broccoli in central Hokkaido shows hollowing due to rapid growth from heat and rain.
• Dairy farms in Shihoro Town spend over ¥300,000 monthly on cooling systems.
• Farmers explore innovative solutions, such as using winter-made ice to cool livestock.
• Experts highlight the need for heat-resistant crop varieties to adapt to climate change.
• Forecasts predict above-average temperatures across Hokkaido through late July.
Summary
Hokkaido’s agriculture faces unprecedented challenges due to extreme summer heat. Supermarkets in Sapporo report shortages of cold foods, while farmers struggle with reduced yields of lettuce, cabbage, and onions. In Date City, heat-induced rot has devastated lettuce crops, with June production nearly destroyed. Bihoro Town’s drought threatens onion growth, and broccoli in central Hokkaido suffers from hollowing caused by rapid growth. Dairy farms in Shihoro Town incur high cooling costs, with innovative measures like using winter-made ice being tested. Experts emphasize the urgent need for heat-resistant crop varieties as climate change intensifies. With temperatures expected to remain high, the situation poses significant risks to food supply and prices nationwide.
