February 9, 1999
Asahi Shimbun

Farmers: Dioxin scare ruining us

The governor of Saitama Prefecture listens to farmers' woes, but no
action is promised on tackling pollution.

Asahi Shimbun

A delegation of farmers met with the governor of Saitama Prefecture on
Monday to demand action to prevent dioxin from contaminating their
produce.

They told Yoshihiko Tsuchiya they can no longer accept the presence of
industrial incinerators in the area.

In a symbolic gesture, they presented him with bundles of spinach to eat
when he got home. They assured him it was fresh and safe to eat, despite
media
reports of high levels of dioxin pollution.

The seven farmers, all in work overalls, were furious that supermarkets
and stores in Tokorozawa have stopped selling their produce. More than
70 farmers
waited to hear the outcome of the meeting.

"I know what you folks have to say," Tsuchiya said.

"We cannot coexist with the incinerators any longer," said a spokesman
for the farmers' delegation, as he presented 20 bundles of spinach from
the previous
day's crop.

Locally grown vegetables that can still be found are being sold at half
price. The farmers complained that they have been forced to dump their
crops in this
bedroom community of about 320,000 people.

The uproar follows reports of high dioxin in the area and the initial
refusal of the Tokorozawa branch of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives
(JA) to divulge the
results of a 1997 investigation into dioxin pollution. JA has since done
a about-turn, but some members say disclosure alone may not be enough to
reverse the
situation.

Markets in Tokyo and areas around Tokorozawa have been shunning the
local produce. According to a fruit and vegetable wholesaler in Tokyo's
Ota Market,
prices for a bundle of Tokorozawa spinach Monday morning were between 20
yen and 30 yen, a quarter of that charged for produce grown in Gunma and

Chiba prefectures.

In fact, prices for all crops produced in Saitama have dropped
dramatically. The Tokorozawa crisis flared after TV Asahi conducted its
own investigation into
the level of dioxin pollution and aired a story that said the situation
was more severe than officials had let on.

"The TV coverage is having a tremendous effect on the market," the
wholesaler said.

Prior to TV Asahi's report, spinach sold for between 70 yen and 80 yen a
bundle. Last Friday, the average price was down to 38 yen.

"It feels horrible having to toss out your own vegetables after spending
so time and effort to grow them," said a 71-year-old farmer as he drove
to a dump to
unload unsold spinach and turnip.

Prior to the Tokorozawa crisis, the farmer sold an average of 100
bundles of spinach a day. Now he's lucky to sell 40, and at 70 percent
of what prices used
to be.

"If the vegetables really are contaminated, then no one should be forced
to eat them," the farmer said. "But if they're not ... ."

An incinerator constructed in the early 1990s is located about 50 meters
from the dump. White ash that spews from the plant blankets nearby
fields of Chinese
cabbage.

Late last year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare tightened regulations
at incinerator sites and the incinerator was closed.