Abstract
This study specifically examines processors in the marketing of production centers of local agricultural specialties and identifies their conditions, issues, and future directions.
Approximately 80% of Japan’s domestic production of water shields, as examined in the analysis, is concentrated in Mitane-cho, Akita prefecture. No competing production centers or processors use conventional sales channels, and this discourages new product development. Even under such circumstances, new developments have taken place, such as the procurement of raw materials through the use of refrigeration and processing technologies, and product and channel development through the strategic positioning of material production at the farm level (i.e., ponds). In the future, however, the entire water shield market needs to be expanded by increasing raw material production, by leveraging cooperation among processors and offering the year-round sale of products created through the shared use of refrigeration and processing facilities in the region.
