Mitsubishi Corporation

Press Room

March 4, 2014
Michisaki Agricultrual Corporation
The Sendai Bank, Ltd.
Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation

Mitsubishi Corporation Relief Foundation Supports Hydroponic Farming Initiative in Eastern Sendai

Michisaki, a farming corporation located in Gamo in the district of Miyagino in Sendai City, today held a ceremony to celebrate the completion of a large-scale hydroponics facility in the area. Michisaki is the recipient of 100 million yen in loan funds from the Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation. This investment complements grants already obtained from the Sendai City Government and The Sendai Bank, Ltd., a local financial institution. With the completion of the facility, Michisaki is now able to enter into the full-scale distribution of safely produced fresh fruits and vegetables to the market.
 
Michisaki was founded shortly after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 with the aim of establishing a forward-thinking farming model and creating employment for farmers affected by the disaster. The hydroponics facility, set up in July 2013 in a coastal area where the land had suffered salt damage due to the tsunami, covers an area of 4 hectares and has a total of 4 structures, with 2 dedicated to leaf vegetables and 1 each dedicated to tomatoes and strawberries, already in production. Support from the Foundation will enabled the safe and efficient distribution of produce since equipment for packaging and sanitation management as well as cooling systems for preserving the freshness of produce has been installed at the facility, which is also equipped with systems for reducing rejection rates, distribution control and timely order fulfillment. This will not only allow Michisaki to increase delivery volumes and sales, but also hire 20 new persons, thereby making a contribution to employment generation in the region.
 
The hydroponic facility falls among a set of businesses designated as part of the Sendai City government’s Agriculture and Food Frontier project, which itself is part of an overall program targeting reconstruction, not limited to but including agricultural industries, on the city’s eastern seaboard. By installing a low-energy system powered by heat waste recovered from the Gamo Water Purification Center, Michisaki is seeking to further develop its engagement in “sixth-order industries” based in the generation of high value-added in its vegetable and fruit processing business. Through the implementation of this forward-thinking agricultural business model, not only do farming activities interrupted due to salt damage following the tsunami have a chance of recovery, but this next-generation approach to agriculture is also likely to gain greater focus into the future.
 
The Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation has committed to this project because of its forward-thinking approach to resolving the problems facing farming communities along the coast of Tohoku. Nearly three years have passed since the tsunami, but coastal lands that suffered severe salt damage are yet to recover from the disaster. The Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation will continue collaborating with local financial institutions such as The Sendai Bank to support efforts aimed at employment creation and economic recovery in areas affected by the disaster.
 
Michisaki’s Hydroponics Facility in Sendai
Reference Information
 
1. Michisaki Agricultural Corporation
 
1)    Headquarters: 63 Gamo Aza Hosokawa, Miyagino-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
2)    Date Established: July 3, 2012
3)    Capital: 17 million yen
4)    Business Activities: Production of hydroponic fruits and vegetables,  processing and sale of agricultural products
5)    Representative: Mamoru Kikuchi, Representative Director
 
2. The Sendai Bank, Ltd.
 
1)    Headquarters: 2-1-1 Ichiban-cho, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
2)    Date Established: May 25, 1951
3)    Capital: 22. 5 billion yen
4)    Business Activities: Deposits, loans and other financial services.
5)    Representative: Takashi Suzuki, Managing Director & Representative Director
 
3. Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation
 
1)    Headquarters: 2-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
2)    Date Founded: March, 2012 (became a foundation May 2012)
3)    Endowment: 6 billion yen
4)    Purpose:
To contribute to the recovery of regions affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake through the provision of scholarships and grants for NPOs and social welfare corporations, as well as for recovery of industry and job creation.
5)    Representatives:
- Chairman, Ken Kobayashi (President and CEO, Mitsubishi Corporation)
- Deputy Chairman, Hideyuki Nabeshima (Senior Executive Vice President, Mitsubishi Corporation)
- Executive Director, Yasuhito Hirota (Senior Vice President, Mitsubishi Corporation)
 

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