The stigma associated with the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima Prefecture seems to be fading as fresh produce prices have risen above pre-disaster levels, yet they remain lower than for the same products produced elsewhere in Japan.
Fukushima-grown cucumbers illustrate this recovery. Prices averaged 303 yen ($2.68) per kilogram last year on the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, 18% higher than the 2006-10 average. The average price has remained above 300 yen a kilogram since 2013 after falling to 189 yen in 2012, a year after the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The prefecture's farm, forestry and fisheries department credits a high market share for the summer-fall crop. From July to September, Tokyo wholesale markets stocked more cukes from Fukushima than from anywhere else.
Consumers have become less reluctant to buy Fukushima cucumbers, said a purchasing manager at Inageya, a midsize supermarket operator.
Fukushima peaches fetched an average of 435 yen a kilo last year, 5% more than before the disaster but over 100 yen less than those grown in other parts of Japan. Though supermarket-bound shipments have recovered, growers appear to be having less success regaining business from department stores, produce wholesaler Tokyo Seika said.
Prices of Fukushima-grown tomatoes and apples also have topped levels from prior to the disaster, but the same produce grown elsewhere sells for more, helped by a tight supply.
