Food Regional Report - HOKKAIDO

Hokkaido is the nation’s largest agricultural producing region that boasts a food self-sufficiency ratio of 226 %, the highest in the country, and produces about a quarter of nation’s agricultural products on a calorie basis. In 2008, the GDP of Hokkaido was 18.4 trillion Japanese yen (US$183.2 billion), bigger than that of the Philippines ($166.2 billion). Hokkaido is facing a decline in population and tourists. Therefore, the food industry in Hokkaido is locked in a fierce competition for survival. However, as a unique market mixture of both local food and imported food, the market in Hokkaido has potential for U.S. agricultural products.