The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, on January 11, 2013, made an announcement about the radioactive cesium found in rice grown in the Miyagi Prefecture. It was found that the rice contained more than double the legal limit of radioactive cesium.
The rice was grow at the Kurihara Prefecture in 2012. The grain was found to contain about 240 becquerels per kilograms of radioactive cesium and this figure is twice the legal limit, which is 100 becquerels per kilograms.
As per TV reports, this is the first time that rice which has been grown outside the Fukushima Prefecture has exceeded the legal limit. The farmers have been requested by the local government in the affected farm to check each bag for radiation before it is shipped. It has also said that it will make attempts to make spot checks on the rice from the neighboring prefectures.
A spokesperson from the ministry went on to say that till date the spot checks have not yet given any cause for alarm. Untill now the Fukushima Prefecture was the only prefecture where rice farming was affected by radiation due to the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Rice farming in this prefecture has been adversely affected as radiation leaked out of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
