The Japanese government is considering shipping its surplus milk to developing countries and disaster-hit nations as food aid, according to Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shoichi Nakagawa.

Milk consumption has fallen in Japan and a cooperative in Hokkaido is reported to have recently discarded 1,000 tons of raw milk. The country has provided powdered skim milk to foreign countries as food aid in the past, but has not yet shipped milk abroad in order to reduce excess domestic supply.
The Japanese agriculture ministry will study amounts and destinations and discuss the plan with foreign ministries.