柑橘産地における産地マーケティングの特質 : 産地棲み分け戦略の展開

抄録

After the first half of 1970's, when the citrus market experienced structural oversupply, a segregation strategy was developed in citrus producing areas. The segregation strategy in the producing areas is a marketing strategy which aims to get the exclusive position in the citrus market by focusing on variety, shipping season, or destination which is suitable for the natural / social conditions of the producing areas and practicing the marketing activities such as strict quality control. There are three factors which have influenced the development of the marketing strategy. First, quality of citrus fruits is greatly influenced by natural aptitude. Second, while satsuma orange accounts for large proportion, the citrus fruits are composed of various varieties. Third, the citrus producing areas are spread throughout the whole western part of Japan and include metropolitan suburban districts. The marketing strategy has contributed both to survival of the various citrus producing areas, including some under bad conditions, and the growth of demand to some extent. However the limits of the strategy have become clear recently. First, there are not enough exclusive positions for every citrus producing area. Second, even if segregation is realized, increase in production of each variety causes overproduction and decline in prices. Nowadays the importance of relationship marketing is emphasized in agricultural markets. It is important for the citrus producing areas to practice integrated marketing which includes a segregation strategy for producing area and relationship marketing.