Shipment Strategies Used by Aqua Farmers and Determining Factors in Uwajima District, Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture

Abstract

This research examined shipment strategies used by aqua farmers and considered the factors determining those strategies in Uwajima district, Uwajima city, Ehime prefecture. The focus was on branded items and relationships with distributors. Branded items are produced by few large-scale aqua farmers in order to ensure steady incomes. However, branded-items are subordinate in Uwajima district, since many aqua farmers produce non-branded items shipped light-weight loads. The shipment strategy of preferring lighter loads to steady price is enabled by the fact that distributors emphasize widespread market distribution of mainly non-branded items. Aqua farmers who produce non-branded items choose the number of distributors to make relationships with and utilize information obtained through those relationships as production and shipment. Those strategies are enabled by the shipping prices of non-branded items as almost equal and the interdependence between aqua farmers and distributors.