Seaweed farmers in northeastern Japan are busy harvesting this season's crop of green laver.

Soma City in Fukushima Prefecture used to be one of the country's top producers of the seaweed.

But the 2011 earthquake and tsunami damaged facilities, and farmers refrained from shipping their products after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Shipments were resumed in 2018, but total production in 2022 remained at just 15 percent of the pre-disaster amount.

Harvesting began in mid-December.

Yamashita Hiroyuki, an official at a local fishers' cooperative, said this season's green laver is the best since the resumption of shipments, mainly because it was not impacted by heavy rains or typhoons.

Soma's green laver was exported to Europe in November for the first time since the 2011 disaster.

Local farmers hope to expand their market, such as by exporting to Asia and elsewhere.

Yamashita says their green laver retains the refreshing smell of the sea, and is tested and certified as safe before shipping. He says he hopes many people will enjoy eating it.