パラグアイ香川県人会だより　(1)会員紹介

　パラグアイは南米大陸のお臍の辺りにあって内陸国、今年の夏は気温が高く、雨も多く蚊が多発生しテング熱が大流行。今は冬だが例年になく寒い日が長く続いていたかと思うと急に暖かい日が続き、待っていたかの如く首都アスンシヨン市内の街路樹「ラパチョ」が一斉に咲き乱れ、春爛漫を思わせる光景である。

　ここから東南に約360km、1955年に開設されたラパス移住地内に琴平町出身の山神良貞さんの広大な農場がある。頑丈な門を入ると、右側にはサイロと12棟の大きな倉庫が建ち並び「これが個人の農場」かと錯覚する程の規模である。1958年12歳で両親、兄弟と共に移住後50年、幾多の困難を乗り越え、入植当時の広大な密林は今では大穀倉地帯に変貌した。

　開拓途上で隣接移住地の同県人移住者が隣国又は主要都市へ転住して行く中、移住地に留まり大型営農で成功した只一人の香川県人であり、日本人会長も努め地域の発展にも積極的に取り組むリーダー的存在は、当県人会の誇りである。農耕用地総面積850町歩、大豆、小麦、ひまわり、とうもろこし、綿が主要作物だが、植え付け後の緑、収穫時期の黄金色、ひまわりの開花時期の光景は誠に壮観である。今日当初の夢が実現したのも家族の結束は勿論のこと、先輩の方々並びに隣人、友人のご指導とご支援の賜物と感謝の念も忘れない。

　現在は3人家族、子供達全員県技術研修でお世話になった。長男の良幸君は2004年に県技術研修員として母県でお世話になり、研修期間中に体験したことが今でも話題になると云う。又営農の中にも研修の成果が窺えると父良貞さんも満足そうである。帰国後農大を卒業、現在地域の青年部長として活躍すると共に、三代目山神農場主として、祖父の夢と父の意思を継承し、現在の農場を更に拡張しようと将来の夢も大きく、更に挑戦を続けこの大地に大輪の花を咲かせてくれるものと三代目への期待は大きい。「アスンシヨン市から遠いんやけんどいっぺんおいでまい」がご家族の口癖である。

　山神さんご一家の益々のご発展を祈って止まない。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　パラグアイ香川県人会
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　会長　平井孝吉

Paraguay, landlocked in the center of the South American continent, experienced a very hot summer this year, and heavy rain brought clouds of mosquitoes carrying dengue fever. Now it's winter, and just as we thought the record-breaking cold weather would never end, Spring has returned and all of a sudden the Lapacho trees in the capital, Ascension City, have sprung into bloom. The view reminds you of the glory of spring time.

360km south-east of here, in the La Paz migration area, created in 1955, you will find the farm of Yoshisada Yamagami, a native of Kotohira Town. Entering through the sturdy gates, one encounters a silo and 12 giant storehouses lined up in a row. It is hard to believe that a farm of such scale belongs to a single person.

50 years after migrating, at the age of 12 with his parents and siblings in 1958, he overcame many
difficulties、and what was once a dense thicket of immigrants, has become a great south American breadbasket. While his countrymen on neighboring plots of land moved away to neighboring countries or big cities leaving their land partially cultivated, Mr. Yamagami stayed on his land, and made a success of it as a large scale farm. His leadership as a Japanese company president and his active campaigning to aid the region's development make him the pride of this association. His farm now covers 8500sq.km of arable land, and his main crops are soy beans, wheat, sunflowers, corn and cotton. The planting season's green fertility, the golden yellow of harvest time and the fields of sunflowers really are sights to behold. We, his friends, colleagues, and family will never forget his support and advice and are very thankful to him.

All of Mr. Yamagami's children have visited Kagawa as technical trainees. The eldest son, Yoshiyuki, visited Kagawa as a technical trainee in 2004 and still talks of the experiences he had during his stay. Also, his father says that he is putting the lessons he learned in Kagawa to good use in the management of the farm. After returning to Paraguay, he graduated from farming college, and is currently working as the farm's manager, and as the 3rd generation of Yamagami management, he has his father and grandfather to advise him on the running of the operation. His dream is to follow in the footsteps of his relatives and expand the farm even further. We have great hopes for the third generation Yamagami to continue to create great success. "We're a long way from Ascension City, but please come to visit!" is the family's favorite phrase.

We wish for the continued success of the Yamagami family in the future.

Paraguay Association for the People of Kagawa
President Takayoshi Hirai