중국원예산업의 발전과 대응방안

Abstract

중국은 1978년 개혁개방을 실시하면서 가장 먼저 채소, 과일 등 원예작물의 가격을 자율화하였다. 그 결과 만성적인 공급 부족에 시달리던 중국의 원예산업은 시장의 가격기능이 되살아나면서 생산이 크게 늘어나는 성과를 거두었다. 원예산업은 곡물류에 비해 농가 소득률이 높아 농민들에게 경제작물로 인식되고 있다. 또한 본질적으로 노동집약적인 원예산업은 중국이 세계 최고 수준의 경쟁력을 확보하고 있어 최근 곡물과 축산물을 제치고 수출전략 품목으로 등장하였다. 3농 문제 해결책의 하나로 농산물 수출 증대를 추진하고 있는 중국은 과일 등 원예작물에 대한 선진국들의 검역상 수입규제를 극복함으로써 수출을 획기적으로 확대하기 위하여 친환경 농산물 생산을 장려하고 있다. 그에 따라 전반적으로 품질 우위를 점한 우리나라와의 무한경쟁이 불가피해질 전망이다. 그뿐 아니라 대표적인 원예작물 주산지인 산동성은 우리나라와 거리가 가깝고 작부체계도 비슷하여 국내 원예산업에 커다란 위협으로 대두되고 있다. 중국산 원예작물이 전체적으로는 품질이 높지 않지만 기업형 농장 등 선도농가의 수출용 농산물 품질은 상당히 높은 수준으로 알려져 있다. 이 보고서는 21세기 들어 성장세가 더욱 가속화되고 있는 중국 원예산업의 동향과 경쟁력을 분석하고 향후 발전 방향을 전망하고, 우리나라 원예산업에 대한 시사점을 보여주고 있다.

China has been playing an important role in the world agricultural production; China feeds 22% of the world population with its territory covering 7% of the world's land area. The cultivation area and production of Chinese vegetables and fruit have rapidly grown since the late 1970s and vegetables overtook livestock products in export amount after the country's entry into the WTO. The increase in the production of vegetables and fruit was caused mainly by productivity growth with the development of new varieties and production technologies rather than by an increase in cultivation area. Low wages and rents accelerated the development of the vegetable and fruit industry. The average quality level of vegetables and fruit produced in China, however, is still low. For example, some 90% of total fruit produced in China are mostly low quality and are consumed within China. The per capita consumption of fruit is also much lower than that of developed countries while the consumption per person has increased over time. The Chinese flower industry has also grown rapidly. The growth of the cut flower industry of Yunnan Province is remarkable. Yunnan Province produces about 70% of total cut flowers in China even though 15 years have not passed since the cut flower industry was introduced in Yunnan Province. However, the cut flower industry faces some challenges not only because farm sizes are relatively small but also because farmers do not have the perception of intellectual property rights. One of the features of the Chinese vegetable and fruit industry is that the industry is most affected by the government. For example, the "Green Basket Policy," which was initiated in 1988, well exemplifies the government-driven policies to solve the problems in the vegetable industry. The other example can be found in the fruit industry. To improve the quality of fruit, the Chinese government initiated a reallocation program for apples and oranges in 2004. The program was designed to concentrate the production of apples and oranges on specific regions to enhance competitiveness. Despite many advantages, the Chinese vegetable and fruit industry faces new challenges; wages and rents spiraled up, and some vegetables experienced low production because of consecutive cultivation. Furthermore, consumers, particularly the residents in coastal provinces, tend to purchase higher quality products and more diverse food, so it is not easy for the Chinese farmers to meet the needs of high income consumers. To see the price competitiveness, the MCA indices are calculated. The indices indicate that 63 items of Chinese vegetables and fruit have competitiveness in the Korean market while only 3 items of Korean products have competitiveness in the Chinese market. This result shows that the Korean products are not price-competitive against the Chinese products, which implies that the Korean growers should not compete with the Chinese growers in terms of price but quality. It is generally recognized that the Korean products are still competitive in terms of quality against the Chinese products. However, it is also a fact that the Chinese products have caught up with the quality of the Korean products. As a result, the distinction in quality between the two products is not large. To compete with the Chinese products in the Korea market, the Korean growers should produce safer and higher quality products than the Chinese products. Additionally, producers should reduce costs by enforcing efficiencies in marketing. If the Korean growers can produce safer and higher quality products and reduce marketing costs, the Chinese market may offer good opportunities for the Korean products because the demand for safe and high quality products in China is very promising. Researchers: Myong-Keun Eor, Yean-Jung Kim, Yun-Shik Kim, Hyoung-Jin Jeon, Jing-Hu Li E-Mail address: myongeor@krei.re.kr