This paper examines how fruit-producing districts in Iida City and Takamori Town in Nagano Prefecture became largely died-persimmon-producing districts. Apple-, peach-, and Japanese-pear-producing districts were formed in the area in the 1960s and 1970s through the Improvement Project of Agricultural Structure. Most farmers practiced multiple management producing apples, peaches, and Japanese pears. However, since the 1990s, elderly farmers have begun producing dried persimmons as the main crop.
The reasons for this are as follows. The production of apples and peaches required much energy, but the elderly farmers were already in their 50s and 60s in the 1990s. In addition, in the 1990s, prices of Japanese pears fell. On the other hand, prices of dried persimmons remained high and stable because of their status as signature agricultural products. Besides, persimmons could be extensively cultivated nearly all year round, with the exception of November and December, when they were processed. Finally, the introduction of fully automatic peeling machines in the 1990s provided the impetus for a substantial increase in dried persimmon production.
Quality standards for dried persimmon production have recently been raised since the accession of the regional collective trademark for dried persimmons in 2006. Consequently, it has become difficult for individual elderly farmers to handle all steps of the production process. An issue that needs to be addressed is how dried persimmon production can be increased in the districts.
