Hokkaido Soba Fields

Japan's annual soba production is approximately 33Thous.tons,14Thous.tons of which is produced in Hokkaido, which at 40% of the total production is the largest production area in Japan. Sumitomo Corporation Hokkaido started dealing in soba produced in Hokkaido about 15 years ago, and at present is the largest trading firm handling the crop in Hokkaido. Incidentally, Sumitomo Corporation Hokkaido purchases soba from the largest soba production area in Japan, located in Horokanai-cho area of Hokkaido's Uryu County, which is also home to the largest man-made lake in Japan, Shumarinaiko (2,373 hectares), as well as the location that recorded one of the coldest temperatures ever in Japan, -41.2°C during 1978.

Rice, Beans and Wheat Color Sorting Machines

Hokkaido is a land of wide open spaces with clear skies. The agricultural industry of Hokkaido grows by the day in this environment. In 1975, Sumitomo Corporation Hokkaido sold the first color sorting machines ever in the Japanese market to agricultural groups in Hokkaido. As a result of continuous improvement based on accumulated technological and business expertise in an environment significantly affected by the regional characteristics and climate of Hokkaido, the company has sold a total of 400 machines over the years, contributing in some small way to the improved quality and greater safety (removal of foreign objects) of the beans, rice and wheat produced in Hokkaido.