Wheat harvest season on Iejima

Wheat harvest season on Iejima

On March 30, the wheat harvest goes ahead in the fields at Higashieue, at the back of Gusukuyama Hill on Ie Island.


April 13, 2012 Correspondent Yukito Kinjo of the Ryukyu Shimpo

Now is the wheat harvest season on Ie Island, the only place where wheat is grown in Okinawa. The season started from the end of March, and goes through until the beginning of May. Waves of golden wheat sway in the wind under the spring sun in the fields of Higashieue on the other side of Gusukuyama Hill. The staff of the Ie branch of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives Okinawa are now busy harvesting the wheat.

Last year, 34 farmers harvested 16.4 tons of wheat. The wheat will be dried for about ten days and then most of it will be sold locally. On the island, farmers grow wheat mainly for their own consumption, but some will be delivered to bakeries or cake shops on the mainland. Mujinu-tempura that uses the wheat is a typical dish of Ie Island. A local farmer said, “We assure you that this wheat is safe because of our pesticide-free production methods.”

(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)

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