The number of dairy farmers in Japan has fallen to below 10,000 as higher feed costs erode income.

The Japan Dairy Council says that as of October this year, the ranks of dairy farmers have fallen 5.7 percent year-on-year. The 9,960 total of such workers is the lowest since 2005, when the data started to be collected.

A council survey found 58.9 percent of these farmers were losing money on their operations in September. The organization queried more than 230 operators in about their business performance.

The agriculture ministry has cited shrinking incomes as the reason for the decline.

A survey conducted by the ministry shows production costs rose over 18 percent in 2022 from the average for the preceding 10 years.

Dairy farmer incomes shrank 60 percent compared with the 10-year average, even though revenue has remained flat.

The ministry is considering ways to pass on higher farming costs into the prices of dairy products.

Associate Professor Kobayashi Kuniyuki of Hokkaido University's Graduate School of Global Food Resources said, "Farmers used to buy cheaper imported grains. And the yen's strength at the time allowed that to continue."

He has stressed the need to increase domestic production of livestock feed in the mid- and long-term. Imports currently account for about half of what farmers use.