Abstract
A great many of imported fresh vegetables have been seen everywhere in Japan since the latter half of the 1980's. Most of them have been competitors with domestic fresh vegetables. Imported broccoli and garlic particularly have had a severe influence on regions where competing domestic vegetables have, and are now, being produced. It is significant for broccoli to be kept fresh. On the other, garlic can be maintained for a relatively longer time. The object of this paper is to analyze the trends and characteristics of prices of fresh vegetables, taking broccoli and garlic as examples affected by imports in the central wholesale market of Nagoya City. These two kinds of vegetables are shipped to the market similarly throughout the year, but beginning of the supply throughout the year, a way changing to the type of supply and shares of the imports are much different. Broccoli used to be imported from developed countries such as USA or Australia, and its quality is almost the same as the domestically grown. It needs, however, a cold-chain system in order to preserve freshness. The costs of its production and distribution are not necessarily low. Obstacles to importing broccoli are mainly technological innovation and exchange rates. On the other hand, garlic used to be imported from developing countries such as China and its prices are quite low, although its quality is not the same as the domestic kind. As a result, garlic has been imported earlier than broccoli and supplied to meet the different needs from those of domestic products. Domestic garlic could survive due to improving its quality, and maintaining higher prices than those imported, i.e., segregation of markets. Broccoli has been contrarily imported later, but imports made great inroads into domestic markets because of small price gaps between domestic and imported due to favorable exchange rates of the Japanese yen.
