“There are no other options for farmers but to rely on technologies developed by companies if they want to raise productivity while they are greying,” Makiko Tsugata, senior analyst at Tokyo’s Mizuho Securities told South China Morning Post.
Earlier in the year, Kubota unveiled its first driverless tractor. Once field data is entered, the tractor uses GPS to perform tasks including tillage, fertilizer and pesticide application. The manufacturer said the tractor could be on the market for farmers by 2018.
Kubota's driverless tractor
Ministers of agriculture from Germany, Italy, France, Britain, Canada’s Lawrence MacAulay and Tom Vilsack from the United States attended the meeting; Vilsack said aging farmers could jeopardize the world’s ability to produce food.
Japan’s Agriculture Minister Hiroshi Moriyama said all G7 nations face an aging farmer population and need to work together to manage the issue.
“Canada will continue to help foster collaboration across the G7 in order to build a resilient global food system that will continue to contribute as a major driver of our economy,” Minister of Agriculture Lawrence MacAulay said in a release.