Japan to test rice Crops for radioactive Cesium

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced Monday that at least 14 prefectural governments in north and east Japan will conduct tests to determine whether locally grown rice has been contaminated by excessive levels of radioactive cesium from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, China's Xinhua news agency reported. Following halts to beef cattle shipments from Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures due to the detection of radioactive cesium above government-set levels, public concerns over food safety are mounting as the radiation-leaking Fukushima nuclear plant has left beef, vegetables, dairy products, seafood and water being contaminated with radioactive materials above the safe limit. According to ministry officials, authorities in the local municipalities in the north and eastern regions of Japan -- that together comprise around 40 percent of Japan's rice production -- will test the rice before and after harvesting. The officials said that if crops are found to be contaminated with radioactive cesium exceeding the government-set limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram, the central government will likely impose a ban on shipments of all rice produced in the vicinity of the tainted source. "Continuous consumption of rice containing cesium above the government-imposed limit of 500 becquerels per kg over a year will result in internal radiation exposure above 5 millisieverts, one of the more conservative standards for radiation exposure set by the International Commission on Radiological Protection," the health ministry said Monday. The ministry has already banned farmers from growing rice in wide areas likely to be exposed to radioactive pollution from the crisis-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, and the latest move from the government is expected to further hamper Japan's sensitive farming industry as recent inclement weather has and continues to damage crops. Japan produced more than eight million tonnes of rice last year of which the majority was consumed domestically, however, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan are notable importers of Japanese-grown rice.