TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga may further restrict a much-criticized travel subsidy program in a bid to contain mounting coronavirus infections, as his approval rating plummets over the handling of the pandemic.
Suga will chair a coronavirus meeting late on Monday to discuss plans regarding the travel campaign, the prime minister’s office said.
He is expected to halt the travel campaign to the capital Tokyo and the city of Nagoya in the large industrial hub of Aichi prefecture, local media reported.
The governors of the Tokyo and Aichi, which includes the city of Nagoya, have said they are in discussions with the central government to decide whether to halt the programs in the regions.
The “Go To Travel” campaign, aimed at boosting regional economies and helping hotels and airlines, has helped stimulate demand for tourism, government spokesman Katsunobu Kato told a news conference.
But while the government aims to promote economic activity, it also wants to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Kato added. “That balance depends on the situation in each region,” he said, without elaborating further.
Despite concerns by experts that the travel campaign may help spread the virus, Suga has insisted an immediate halt to the entire campaign is not under consideration.
Local media on Sunday flagged cuts to the travel campaign, while Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura on Saturday said he had asked the government to extend the suspension of the tourism program imposed on the Osaka region.
While Japan has not seen the kind of massive outbreaks that have hit the United States and parts of Europe, infections have worsened as winter has set in, particularly in regions such as the northern island of Hokkaido and the city of Osaka.
The country recorded more than 3,000 new infections for the first time in one day on Saturday and Tokyo, Japan’s capital and largest city, confirmed 621 new cases.
Tokyo has asked bars and restaurants to close by 10p.m. during a three-week period that ends this week. Governor Yuriko Koike is set to extend this period, Kyodo News reported.
Japan’s government has paused the travel campaign only in two hardest-hit areas.
“If the economy is destroyed, then it can become serious trouble,” Suga said during an online town hall on Friday.
Over the weekend, polls found public support for the prime minister has eroded over his handling of the pandemic. A Mainichi newspaper poll on Saturday had his approval rating down to 40 percent, a 17 percent point fall from last month, as has disapproval rating exceeded his approval rate for the first time.
Only three months in office after his predecessor Shinzo Abe abruptly resigned due to ill health, Suga has also come under pressure because of other controversies, including his rejection of scholars on a science advisory panel.
Japan’s PM may curb tourism campaign to fight coronavirus
https://arab.news/yf4uc
Japan’s PM may curb tourism campaign to fight coronavirus
- The “Go To Travel” campaign has helped stimulate demand for tourism
- Japan’s government has paused the travel campaign only in two hardest-hit areas
In Bangladesh’s mangrove forest, villagers brave tigers to collect rare honey
- Honey is gathered from wild bee colonies deep in the Sundarbans
- Producers made a debut at the biggest food fair in Jeddah this month
DHAKA: When the harvest begins, Mizanur Rahman gathers a few hundred men and sets out into the mangrove forest along the Bay of Bengal, where for months they climb trees to collect by hand a wild natural honey whose unique properties are only starting to attract global attention.
The honey is collected from wild bee colonies deep within the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove reserve spanning parts of India and southwestern Bangladesh.
“Honey collection from this forest is mostly done in the Bangladesh part,” Rahman said. “All plants, trees, and the overall environment of this forest are natural. There is no human touch.”
Sundarban honey comes from an ecosystem where trees grow and bloom naturally, without the use of fertilizers or pesticides. Its collectors, known as mawalis, begin work in March for about three and a half months.
Rahman estimates there are about 4,000 mawalis in the local community. To enter the forest, they require special passes from the forest department.
“It’s a very risky job for the people who enter the forest,” he told Arab News. “It’s the only honey in the world where collectors risk their lives in the den of the mighty Bengal tiger to gather it. Sometimes, they also face the danger of poisonous snake bites.”
During the season, his team reaches up to 1,200 members who together manage to collect about 400 tons of honey.
“One hundred small boats start sailing together, each carrying eight to 10 people,” Rahman said. “Despite the dangers, it is a matter of pride to be part of these challenging tasks.”
Collected from a humid environment, Sundarban honey is thinner than other types. Its greenish-amber shade comes from the nectar of mangrove flowers, and the taste is less sweet than most commercial honeys, with a subtle citrus-like tanginess. The scent is mild.
Being raw and unprocessed, the honey retains more enzymes, antioxidants, and pollen.
“Some people can feel acidity similar to orange juice,” Rahman said. “It has a unique taste. If someone tastes this honey once, she or he will definitely love to taste it again and again.”
Well known locally in Bangladesh and parts of eastern India, where it has been harvested and consumed for generations, Sundarban honey is only starting to gain attention in organic and specialty food markets.
Earlier this month, it debuted at AgroFood Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s leading international exhibition for the agriculture, food, and agritech industries.
The organic honey from the Sundarbans received an encouraging reception, according to Mohammed Saleh Uddin Bhuyan, chief category officer at Ghorer Bazar, one of the companies participating in the expo.
“We have been receiving good responses from the local buyers,” he said. “Saudi Arabia is a very promising market for us.”
Bangladeshi authorities recognize the honey’s export potential but also the fact that production still needs to be standardized to enter global markets.
Mahmudul Hasan, director of Bangladesh’s Export Promotion Bureau, told Arab News that there are plans to promote the organic practices behind the honey during future food fairs in the Gulf region.
“There is huge export potential for our mangrove honey in the Gulf countries, as Arab consumers are fond of honey. They just need to be assured of the quality in the production process,” he said.
“Our mangrove honey is undoubtedly an organic product. It has unique value, but the world is not very aware of it yet.”
