School Lunch Suspension and Rising Costs Hit Okinawa Dairy Farm

In Okinawa, a family dairy farm, Hiranaka Farm, is grappling with rising feed and utility costs, extreme summer heat, and reduced demand during the school vacation season, all of which are putting pressure on the local dairy industry. The farm, located in Yaese and run by daughter Michi Hiranaka, produces 2 tons of milk daily from 80 cows.

Over the past 40 years, the farm has expanded from just four cows to its current size. Despite maintaining stable milk quality, electricity and other utility costs have nearly doubled in recent years, while feed prices have also climbed. Most of the feed and other supplies must be transported by sea, making Okinawa's dairy farmers particularly vulnerable to international developments like the war in Ukraine, oil procurement issues, and the weaker yen.

Farmers cannot easily cut expenses during hot summers because cows require ample feed and heat protection. The Okinawa prefectural government reports that the number of dairy farms has dropped from 212 in 1985 to 55 in 2022, reflecting a shortage of successors and worsening business conditions. Hiranaka Farm is also a director of a dairy cooperative, working to protect Okinawa's dairy industry and maintain local milk supply.

Summer is particularly challenging for local farmers as schools are closed, and surplus milk is shipped to Kyushu for processing into products like butter and skim milk powder, resulting in significantly lower purchase prices for farmers. The family hopes for the arrival of autumn and seeks to promote Okinawa dairy farming while emphasizing the clean environment in which the milk is produced.