required report public distribution date 10 18 2006 gain number ja6055 ja9999 japan strawberries annual approved by rachel nelson us embassy prepared kenzo ito highlights japanese strawberry production is declining slowly at an rate of about one to two percent due largely labor shortages fresh continue dominate s confectionery market in the summer and fall however farmers have started producing crop northern that compete with berries china keeps its position as leader frozen holding approximately 68 share includes psd changes yes trade matrix tokyo ja1 ja usda foreign agricultural service global agriculture information network template version 2 09 page 12 unclassified table contents declines 3 extra sweet preferred hokkaido farmer developed pick sell well during domestic off seasons 4 higher freight costs raise price from united states 5 imports declined 2005 high import
