「新農政」における市場再編 : 食管制度と卸売市場制度を中心にして(市場問題からみた「新農政」,1993年度春季大会シンポジウム報告)

抄録

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan announced the Basic Direction of New Policies for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas last June. There are some serious problems facing Japanese agriculture, such as: a shortage of young farmers, decreasing cultivated field and so on. These problems are the background to this plan. The basic directions of the new policies are to introduce the deregulation and the free market mechanism into the structure of agricultural production and distribution. At present, the reorganization of policies is proceeding both in the food control system (mainly concerning rice), and in the wholesale market system (fresh foods). With regard to the former, the decline of productivity and the shortage of rice has been caused through the loss of producer motivation due to the Rice Production Conversion Program, and the freezing and cutting of the producers' price of rice over a long period. For this reason, I think it has become inappropriate to assert the need for reform of the rice control system towards the introduction of the market mechanism, due to the structural over-production of rice. Concerning mentioned above the wholesale market system, the trading practices are changing gradually to the benefit of mass sales stores. Thus, in order to effect progress in Japanese agriculture and to stabilize food supply for the population, the Government should halt the deregulation and the introduction of the market mechanism into agricultural production and distribution, and should implement a protective policy for agriculture.