Congratulations! Hokuryu Town (Sunflower Oil Regeneration Project) has been selected as the recipient of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' 2020 Hometown Development Award, a Local Government Award (Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Award)!

Friday, January 22, 2021

According to a Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) public relations announcement dated January 21, Hokuryu Town (Mayor Yutaka Sano) has been selected as the recipient of the Local Government Award (Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Award) at the MIC-sponsored Hometown Development Awards 2020. This is the only award recipient from Hokkaido.

The ceremony scheduled for Thursday, January 28th will not be held in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Hokuryu Town receives the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' 2020 Hometown Development Award for Local Governments

This project was highly praised for "reviving and reviving the cultivation of oilseed sunflowers for the purpose of producing edible sunflower oil, and the production and sale of sunflower oil."

Six local governments across the country received the award: Hokuryu Town in Hokkaido, Nagano Prefectural Industrial Technology Center, Inabe City in Mie Prefecture, Ikoma City in Nara Prefecture, Minami Town in Tokushima Prefecture, and Matsuyama City in Ehime Prefecture.

Hokuryu Town's Local Government Award Winning Points

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' detailed document "Evaluated Points," the results are as follows:

・An example of successfully combining local products with local companies. The company has a sales channel, so there is a future potential in being able to sell the products well.
・The details of the initiative are extremely specific, and it is wonderful that they have focused on the local resource "sunflowers" to develop a high-quality product that is unique in Japan, and that this has led to the establishment of a local brand and the fostering of civic pride. The deeper this single-minded initiative goes, the more it can be expected to expand in the future.

What is the Hometown Development Award?

The Hometown Development Awards aim to raise the passion and enthusiasm for hometown development and build rich and vibrant local communities by honoring organizations and individuals across the country who are working hard to improve the hometowns that are dear to their hearts.

This award was established in 1983, and this year marks its 38th anniversary. To date, 1,120 organizations and individuals have received the award. Until 2013, it was known as the "Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Award for Regional Development." (Quoted from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications website)

Related articles

2020

・Hokuryu Town's "Sunflower Tourism and Local Products Fair" 2020 will be held in Chikaho, promoting the town with the participation of all of Hokuryu!(November 5, 2020)
・Face-to-face sales of Hokuryu Town's specialty products @ Sorachi Fair 2020 (Hokkaido Dosanko Plaza Sapporo store)(October 19, 2020)
・Hokuryu Town's specialties, "Sunflower oil, rice crackers from the fields, buckwheat flakes, and Kurosengokudon," are now available at Hokkaido Support Todoku (Coop Sapporo)!(May 8, 2020)

2019

　
・"Kurosengoku Soybeans & Sansan Sunflower Oil & Dressing" Gift Set [Introducing Hokuryu Town's Delicious Foods! No. 02](December 5, 2019)
・"Hokuryu Sunflower Balm" now available! Made with 80% sunflower oil from Hokuryu Town and no chemical additives(July 29, 2019)
・New Sunflower Bread Released! Made with roasted sunflower oil from Hokuryu Town(July 20, 2019)
・Sales fair for Hokuryu Town's special products "Sunflower oil," "Sunflower rice," and "Kurosengoku soybeans" @Mitsui Outlet Park Kitahiroshima(July 1, 2019)

2018

・Introducing the new "Ramen Salad" using Ajidokoro Hachihachi's original "Kurosengoku and Sunflower Oil Dressing" (Himawari Tourist Center)(July 19, 2018)
・Newly released Kurosengoku soybean sunflower oil dressing!(July 14, 2018)
・Petit Marché @ Farm Aid Ginza 2018 Summer - Promotion of Hokuryu Town Sunflower Rice & Sansan Sunflower Oil(July 11, 2018)
・Sunflower rice and sunflower oil sales promotion activity "Play. Live. Grow. Let's go to SATOYAMA & SATOUMI 2018" @ Pacifico Yokohama (Yokohama City)(April 10, 2018)
・In search of freshly squeezed sunflower oil @ Rakuno Gakuen University Food Planning and Development Laboratory Research Presentation(March 9, 2018)
・More than 200 people participated in a seminar to learn about sunflower oil and a tasting lunch event (Sapporo City) to taste sunflower oil.(February 19, 2018)
・Roasted Sunflower Oil, made from 100% sunflower seeds grown in Hokuryu Town, is now available at Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen!(February 13, 2018)

2017

・A Hokuryu Town product exhibition featuring rice, Kurosengoku soybeans, and sunflower oil was held at Yumoya (Taichung City, Taiwan).(December 11, 2017)
・The sunflower oil recycling project was featured in the Hokkaido Creation Journal "Tsukuru"(July 12, 2017)
・Mayor Yutaka Sano announces the commercialization of "Sunflower Oil" on the Hidaka Mutsuro Show (STV Radio)(February 23, 2017)
・Sansan Sunflower Oil (Hokuryu Town x Nisshin Oillio Group) product launch(February 17, 2017)
・Sunflower Oil Regeneration Project Information Session & Tasting Session (with recipes)(January 28, 2017)

・Harvesting and drying of oil sunflowers begins(September 28, 2017)
・Honoka Agricultural Cooperative [No.21] Aerial shot of weeding in a sunflower oil field(June 15, 2017)
・Honoka Agricultural Cooperative [No. 15] Harvesting sunflower seeds for sunflower oil(September 29, 2016)

2016

・Togo's oil story(May 2016 - December 2016)

◇