Japan Prince Naruhito sees Embrapa coffee, soybean and sugar cane plantations

Amid the official appointments in his last days in Brazil, Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito found time in his schedule to visit Embrapa Cerrados, some 35 km from the center of Brasília, to watch the projects under development. The visit was a personal request of the prince himself, who had been in the place in 1982. Today, accompanied by Embrapa President Maurício Lopes, he paid a visit to the company’s coffee, soybean, and sugar cane plantations.

“He was really impressed to see robusta coffee in the cerrado. Brazil is widely known as a producer of arabica, but coffee has become increasingly prominent in the country. It’s important as instant coffee, and has high quality and value in the market,” Lopes said after seeing the Japanese prince.

He also said Naruhito was satisfied to see how the sector has evolved in the country. “Brazil did something extraordinary in a really short time span. In 40 years, it attained food security, positioned itself as a great provider of foods to the world—this much thanks to Brazil’s investment in an agricultural model based on science.”

Naruhito’s interest is well justified. After all, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation enjoyed strong ties with Japan’s International Cooperation Agency (JICA), especially in the 70s and 80s, which led to the advancement of research into acid soil correction in the Brazilian cerrado. With technical knowledge and Japanese equipment, Embrapa managed to successfully plant soybeans, coffee, corn, cotton, etc.

“We received very important equipment at a time when building setting up laboratories was difficult. Japanese cooperation played an important role in the development of this unit,” Lopes said. “Partnerships like Embrapa–JICA helped Brazil transform its soil—enormous stretches of poor and acid soil—into fertile land. It helped tropicalize the growing process and also the development of sustainable practices,” he added.

Naruhito was also honorary president for the Consultative Council of the United Nations Secretary-General on Water and Sanitation. The prince is to speak as part of the Water and Disasters panel tomorrow (Mar. 19) at the 8th World Water Forum. Also slated in his visit to Brazil are a lunch and a meeting with Michel Temer.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira