Newly developed Japan citrus likely carried off, saplings on sale in China

The Japanese government said Friday that specimens of a quality citrus hybrid recently developed by Ehime Prefecture in western Japan may have been surreptitiously removed from the country.The government has confirmed that saplings of Ehime Kashi No. 48, marketed commercially as Beni Princess, have appeared for sale online in China, farm minister Norikazu Suzuki told reporters.Registered as a new citrus breed in Japan in 2022, Beni Princess began shipping in earnest in March 2025. A local business promotion body touts it as a "citrus thoroughbred" that gets its texture from Beni Madonna and…READ FULL ARTICLE