Thursday, April 3, 2025
On Friday, March 28th, from 4:00 p.m., the Kitaryū Sunflower and Watermelon Producers Association conducted a seedling tour.
Sunflower watermelon seedling tour
Together with Yamazumi Yuuki from the Sorachi Agricultural Cooperative Improvement and Extension Center, Fujikawa Yuya from the JA Kitasorachi Fruit and Vegetable Department, and Sakuraba Kenichi, a new farming promoter, they toured six seedling greenhouses run by producers Watanabe Toshinari, Sato Kosuke, Sugimoto Katsuhiro, Izaki Michiyoshi, Tsuzuki Hiromi, and Takada Akimitsu of Takada Co., Ltd.
We investigated the sowing date, number of plants, grafting date, root pruning date, and planned planting date, checked each other's growth status, and exchanged opinions on future cultivation management methods, such as the presence of pests and diseases, temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse, and hydration.
Producer Toshinari Watanabe's field
Producer Kosuke Sato's field
"The space between the nodes of a seedling is called an internode. If there is little sunlight, the seedlings tend to become elongated and the internodes become long. Elongated seedlings have weak cells and are more susceptible to pests and diseases.
"When the internodes become dense and the plants grow larger, the cells become tighter and they are less susceptible to disease and insects. The seedlings here are growing into very good seedlings," said Sato Kosuke.
New Farmer Promotion Officer, Kenichi Sakuraba
Producer Katsuhiro Sugimoto's field
Producer Michiyoshi Izaki's field
Producer: Takada Co., Ltd., Takada Akimitsu's field
Producer Hiromi Tsuzuki's field
Social gathering
After the seedlings are grown, a social gathering will be held at Jirocho (represented by Fujita Nobusuke) yakiniku restaurant in Kitaryū town from 5pm.
Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki took time out of his busy schedule to attend the event and gave an explanation on the "Hokuryu Town Comprehensive Strategy 2025 (Draft)" and other matters.
Greetings from Mr. Akimitsu Takada, Chairman of the Association
"Thank you for your hard work during the tour. I was able to see a lot of things. We are now in April, and I realize that planting will begin soon.
"We don't know what kind of year this will be or what the weather will be like, but we want to do our best so that everyone in the Sunflower and Watermelon Producers Association stays healthy until the very end and can say that it was a good year. Thank you for your support," said Takada, the association's president.
Greetings and toast: Mayor Sasaki Yasuhiro
"Previously, on Tuesday, March 18th, Akimitsu Takada and Kosuke Sato came to the town hall and explained the guidelines for new farmers. I thought it was very well done and very interesting.
We have received requests for pamphlets and a website, and we are considering them. We are trying to keep costs to a minimum for the association and make them available through subsidies from the town.
Sunflower watermelons are extremely high quality and delicious, and we are thinking about how to deliver them across the country efficiently and strategically.
One hint is that Mr. Doi, who grows organic tomatoes, sends them to the city on the same day they are harvested and puts them on the shelves in his store on the same day. I would like to have a chance to talk to Mr. Doi someday and come up with a way to get sunflower watermelons on the shelves on the same day they are harvested. Sunflower watermelons are truly wonderful, so it would be great if they spread to Tokyo. I also hope to connect with Hakuhodo in the future.
We also have posters for the Sunflower Festival. We had them made early this year so that we could carry them with us and hand them out wherever we go.
Our staff worked hard to create the "Hokuryu Town Comprehensive Strategy 2025 (Draft)." The national budget was decided today and the preliminary announcement is scheduled for the 31st. This may be delayed from the 30th. The budget calls for a 1 billion yen grant from the national government for a 2 billion yen project.
Under this system, half of the project costs will be subsidized by the national government, and the remaining half will be received from the national government as a special grant tax. We hope to keep the town's burden less than the usual budget.
We would like to hear from everyone at Himawari Suika about their creative ideas and suggestions for what we could do. There are many things we can do over the next five years, so we look forward to your support.
We intend to clearly outline Hokuryu Town's future 10 to 20 years from now, and we look forward to seeing everyone's opinions help us create a good plan.
The budget for building facilities for compulsory schools has been reported in the newspapers as 5 billion yen. In reality, the budget will be 2.5 billion yen for the compulsory school buildings, 1 billion yen for community centers, and other expenses. We will build the facilities within the 5 billion yen figure.
It is natural to think that the amount is high, and you may wonder why a community center should be built for such a large amount, but we will make sure to build the financial structure in a solid manner.
The amount may increase in the future due to rising prices of goods and building materials. We will make cuts somewhere to cover any future increases and keep the budget under 5 billion yen. We will not overextend ourselves and will gracefully stop where we cannot. We will definitely impose financial restrictions, so please keep an eye on us with peace of mind.
We will create such facilities for the children and a system that will generate profits for the town as part of our comprehensive strategy. The basis is that everyone will earn a decent living.
Please feel free to make suggestions.
"It is quite difficult to increase the town's population, but we would like to do our best to maintain the current situation, so we ask for your continued support," Mayor Sasaki said politely.
After the toast, Mayor Sasaki left the meeting, saying he would be giving speeches and explanations at a separate venue.
Producers and other stakeholders enjoyed delicious meat and had a lively discussion about a variety of topics.
The producers work hard together, checking on each other's seedlings and exchanging opinions on cultivation methods, all lovingly and carefully cultivating the sturdy, delicious, and magnificent "Sunflower Watermelons" with boundless love, gratitude, and prayers...
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◇ Photography, editing, and website management: Noboru Terauchi Writer: Ikuko Terauchi
![Planting of Hokuryu's specialty, sunflower watermelon, begins [Hokkaido Shimbun Digital]](https://portal.hokuryu.info/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2025-04-04-8.58.06-375x246.jpg)
