Structure Analysis of the Roughage Supply Chain in the United States and Japan with a Focus on the Japanese Agricultural Cooperative Group

Abstract

In this paper, a structure analysis of the roughage supply chain in the United States and Japan was conducted with a focus on the Japanese Agricultural Cooperative Group. While roughage production has decreased in the United States, its export to the United Arab Emirates and China has expanded since the late 2000s. As a result, the sales price of roughage in the United States has increased dramatically. Under these circumstances, the Japanese Agricultural Cooperative Group made a major capital investment in roughage production and distribution in the United States. Based on the effect of the scale merit of production, the Japanese Agricultural Cooperative Group enhanced vertical coordination and made efforts toward cost reduction.