MITO, Ibaraki Pref. (Kyodo ) An association of sweet potato farmers from the village of Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, will demand that the government curb imports of dried sweet potatoes from China, association members said Tuesday.

The association is expected to submit its demands to Yoshio Yatsu, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, this month.

It will be the first time for Japanese dried sweet potato farmers to ask Tokyo for a curb. The move follows calls from the Japan Towel Industrial Association for safeguard measures against imports of cheap towels from China and Vietnam.

The village and surrounding area northeast of Tokyo, the largest producer of dried sweet potatoes in Japan, grows between 5,000 and 8,000 tons of the vegetable annually, according to the association.

But sales dropped after the nation's most serious nuclear accident occurred at a uranium processing plant in Tokai in 1999, sparking fears the produce would be contaminated. At the same time, imports of dried sweet potatoes from China expanded rapidly, surpassing 4,000 tons last year, it said.

Japanese dried sweet potato dealers said the imports are about a third the price of domestically grown dried sweet potatoes and their quality has improved as Japanese experts have instructed Chinese farmers.

The imports pushed down the wholesale prices of dried sweet potatoes from the Tokai area to 4,000 yen per 10 kg from 6,000 yen two years ago.

World Trade Organization rules allow for safeguard import measures when domestic industries are threatened by excessive imports.