Sustainable production of raw materials
Addressing climate change caused by global warming and conserving natural capital are urgent tasks for the Calbee Group. We are working together with our stakeholders, including contract producers, on initiatives to ensure consistent potato quality and stable procurement, our key ingredient, and promote more sustainable agriculture.
Improving sustainability of agriculture through potato research
Development of new potato varieties
The major risks we face in the procurement of potatoes are declines in quantity and quality due to global warming resulting from climate change, as well as the spread of pests and diseases, including potato cyst nematodes. In response, we are collaborating with research institutions in Japan and abroad to develop new potato varieties that are resistant to heat and disease, thereby adapting to climate change.
The Calbee Group has promoted the cultivation of the Poroshiri variety since 2017, when we registered it as our new proprietary variety. We are also working to develop new varieties, such as CP14 and CP15. We have completed the trial cultivation of CP14 and are now working toward commercial cultivation. This variety is cyst nematode-resistant and offers excellent chip color (the color of potato chips when processed). We will also continue to improve our breeding and development technologies for varieties that are resistant to climate change and introduce new varieties to ensure a stable supply of potatoes.
CP14 registered as a new variety
Harvesting at a field where the Calbee Potato Research Institute develops new potato varieties
Labor-saving in agriculture
The number of agricultural workers primarily engaged in farming has been on a downward trend, declining by about 41% from 1,757,000 in 2015 to 1,036,000 in 2025*. Reducing their workload and stabilizing their income are major issues, also from the perspective of securing the agricultural workforce. Potatoes are a particularly labor-intensive crop.
Calbee Potato provides contract agricultural services to help reduce the workload of contract producers. Specifically, we support highly labor-intensive processes of harvesting and sorting. By introducing large-scale machinery, producers can expect to improve harvesting efficiency and reduce their workload. On the other hand, the introduction of large-scale machinery requires a facility that is capable of efficiently receiving and handling the large volumes of harvested potatoes. Calbee Potato has sorting lines and storage facilities in place to receive and store the large volumes of potatoes harvested by large-scale machinery. By supporting contract producers in introducing large-scale machinery to achieve labor-saving operations, Calbee Potato is working with them to increase their planted acreage of potatoes.
*Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. "FY2025 White Paper on Food, Agriculture, and Rural Areas"
Large potato receiving and sorting machines
Potato sorting using a large receiving and sorting machine
Dispersion of potato production areas
Most recently, the potato harvest decreased significantly in 2021 due to a drought that occurred in the Tokachi, Abashiri, and Kamikawa regions of Hokkaido. To address the risks posed by climate change to potato procurement, Calbee Potato is making efforts to diversify potato production areas in Hokkaido and expand production to regions such as Tohoku and northern Kyushu.
In these new potato production regions, we provide support based on the specific circumstances of each region. In a potato-producing area in the Tohoku region (Miyagi Prefecture), we shared the details of measures with contract producers to prevent potato rot and early withering caused by heavy rains that result in reduced yields. We took measures to ensure drainage for approximately 99% of the contracted areas, leading to improved harvests. We are also implementing additional measures besides drainage, as the impact of drought has become more significant in recent years. In northern Kyushu, we are promoting labor-saving operations by lending cultivation equipment to producers. Through these initiatives, we are steadily expanding potato acreage in the new production regions.
Drainage improvement work at a field (Miyagi Prefecture)
Promoting agricultural sustainability in collaboration with stakeholders
Partnership agreement with the Hokuren Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives
In 2020, Calbee entered into a partnership agreement with the Hokuren Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives ("Hokuren") to promote agricultural produce grown in Hokkaido including potatoes. To achieve the sustainable production of raw materials, we have collaborated with Hokuren across a wide range of areas, including variety development, expansion of potato cultivation areas, efficient use of agricultural inputs, logistics, and product development and sales.
In the area of variety development, we actively engage in information sharing and joint research to address changes in the environment, such as climate change.
Regarding the expansion of potato cultivation areas, we are strengthening our production base to ensure a stable supply of raw materials in the long term.
In the area of the efficient use of agricultural inputs, we are also evaluating whether phosphate fertilizer application rates can be reduced as part of our efforts to use agricultural inputs more efficiently and reduce fertilizer use. Through the effective use of limited resources, we seek to both reduce the burden our operations place on the environment and support sustainable agriculture. In the area of logistics, we are making effective use of a large high-speed ship, Hokuren Maru, to reduce the distance and time required for overland transportation of agricultural produce and to build a more efficient logistics system. Furthermore, to add value to potatoes, we are also developing new products and promoting integrated sales and marketing processes.
Through these initiatives, the Calbee Group and Hokuren work together to communicate the appeal of agricultural produce grown in Hokkaido to a wider audience and to bring the value created by producers to the market. Going forward, the Calbee Group remains committed to achieving the sustainable production and steady procurement of raw materials.