Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced plans to reduce the consumption tax on food and beverages from 8% to 1% for two years starting April 2027. The government will proceed despite a cross-party panel failing to reach consensus on funding and permanence. Cash subsidies for eligible households, costing about 600 billion yen annually, will begin as early as autumn 2027. The 1% rate was chosen over 0% to ease the burden on retailers reprogramming cash registers.
The 2026 World Dairy Conference will be held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. Hohhot, known as China's dairy capital, has the country's largest and most complete dairy industry cluster. In 2025, the local dairy industry's full-chain revenue exceeded 300 billion RMB. The article highlights the role of innovation, key players Yili and Mengniu, challenges such as low per capita consumption and reliance on imported ingredients, and the need for technological upgrades, product diversification, and collaborative research to strengthen the industry.