Japan's Fukushima Prefecture will export 10 kilograms of "ampo gaki," a type of dried persimmons unique to the northeastern prefecture, to the United Arab Emirates on a trial basis.

The specialty will be exported for the first time since the March 2011 accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which caused reputation damage to local food products, including the persimmons.

Personnel at the Fukushima prefectural government and the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, or JA, will visit government institutions and distributors in the UAE from Tuesday to Thursday to promote ampo gaki, the prefecture said Monday.

Following the nuclear accident, the prefectural government ordered farmers to stop producing the dried fruits in fiscal 2011-2012. Production resumed afterward, but the output volume and prices remain at some 80 pct of the levels before the accident.

The prefecture hopes that it can explore a new market for ampo gaki, as the UAE has a culture of eating dates, which taste similar to the processed fruits.

Fukushima will introduce the specialty to officials of the UAE government and the local chamber of commerce and industry, and reflect feedbacks on its future export strategy, according to the prefecture.

JIJI Press