Farm minister Shigeru Ishiba on Dec. 2 unveiled a road map for boosting Japan's food self-sufficiency rate in calorie terms to 50 percent from the current 40 percent in about 10 years, mainly by increasing rice consumption and wheat production.

The draft plan will undergo a thorough study by a dedicated panel from the end of January and will be fleshed out with specific reform measures in 2010, the minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries said at a news conference.

In light of growing demand for rice powder used in bread and other food, rice powder production is to be jacked up to 500,000 tons from 10,000 tons in the year ended in March 2008, according to the plan.

The plan calls for doubling production of wheat to 1.8 million tons from 910,000 tons in fiscal 2007 and that of soybeans to 500,000 tons from 230,000 tons. The output of milk and dairy products will be also increased.