March 15, 2016

Kanematsu Corporation is investing in the Be Smile Project Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kagoshima, Kagoshima prefecture; President & CEO: Masashi Kamimura), a sixth sector industry development organization, alongside the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Fund Corporation for Innovation, Value-chain and Expansion Japan (A-FIVE), Kamichiku Group company Kinko Farm Ltd., five operating companies and four financial institutions.

Recently, the domestic livestock industry has seen an increasing burden being placed on stock farmers, due to the soaring cost of cattle and importing feed from overseas. An increasing number of breeding farmers meanwhile are going out of business due to difficulties finding successors as they get older. Be Smile Project is a sixth sector industry development organization established in order to resolve issues such as these facing the livestock industry. The aim is to ensure safe, secure, high added-value production for products such as wagyu (Japanese beef) by establishing a value chain at every stage, from feeder cattle production and feed supplies through to breeding, feeding and fattening, processing, sales, supplying to restaurants and exports, in the interests of sustainable livestock management.
Kanematsu intends to work with the sixth sector industry develop organization across a wide range of fields, including assisting onsite with smart agriculture-led production, supplying the best feed, providing support for breeding, and expanding overseas, and will be working alongside the other participating companies to support the development of the Japanese livestock industry.
 

[Outline of Be Smile Project]

(1) Name Be Smile Project Co., Ltd.
(2) Headquarters Kagoshima, Kagoshima prefecture
(3) Representative Masashi Kamimura, President & CEO
(Representative, Kamichiku Group)
(4) Capital 2,502 million Japanese Yen
(5) Business activities Initially: Food service business
Future: Manufacture and sale of TMR feed
Processing of meat products
Processing and sale of dairy products
(6) Established October 7, 2015 (Scheduled to commence operations: April 1, 2016)


Contact:
Public & Investor Relations Section, Kanematsu Corporation
Tel: +81-3-5440-8000