Transformations in geographical pattern of the fresh vegetable commodity chain : Japan-bound shipments from Asian countries

The aim of the present study is to examine changes in geographical patterns in fresh vegetables commodity chains involving East Asia using a global commodity chain approach. Transformations in the chain owed much to the development in fresh vegetables trade of intra-Asian countries. While larger amounts and cheaper Chinese commodities increasingly flowed into Japan, Asian exporters developes their Japan-bound fresh vegetable trade, but non-Asian exporters did not make major changes in the strcture of shipping commodities. Two major features of the transformation in Asian suppliers were (1) the increase in volumes and drop in the prices of existing commodities of Japan-bound trade, and (2) the growth in more perishable commodities. Regarding the former transformation, China has grabbed some share of the market from the US and Australia, and the latter transformation has carried out by Southeast Asian countries and S. Korea that developed new market of tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplants in Japan. Especially in the latter case, Asian exporters have a geographical advantage over European and US exporters. But it is difficult to say that the European countries and US have no influence on the system, because of the involvement of multinational agribusinesses. Newly established commodity chains have taken shape in the fresh vegetables trade of Asia. In the background, there has been a rapid expansion in perishable vegetables trade since the 1990s. In this process there was hot competition within the Japan-bound exporting countries and upgrading movement in the chain can also be seen. China's large volume of cheap exports was central, and in addition to Southeast and East Asian countries, multi-national agribusiness with headquarters in Europe and the USA were involved in the changes. Fresh vegetables trade centering on East Asian countries has become one of the emerging points in the global commodity chains alongside the apparel and automobile chains as previous works described.