고추·마늘 유통실태와 소비자 구입패턴 분석 및 대응방안

Abstract

고추와 마늘은 국민 식생활의 필수적인 농산물이며 농업 생산액에서 큰 비중을 차지하여 정부의 주요 수급대책품목이기도 하다. 고추와 마늘은 최근 자급률이 하락하는 가운데 수급 변화에 따라 연도별 가격 변동이 심하고 유통단계별 가격의 움직임도 그 규칙성을 알기 어려워 종종 언론의 이슈로 제기된다.

이 연구는 고추·마늘의 유통실태와 소비자의 구입패턴을 조사하고 수급과 유통에 영향을 미치는 요인을 실증적으로 분석하며, 이를 바탕으로 수급 및 유통 개선을 위한 정책 과제를 제시하는 것으로 목적으로 수행되었다. 이 연구는 객관적인 지표를 개발하여 수급 동향을 분석하고 국내산과 수입 고추·마늘의 유통 경로의 특성과 변화를 조사·분석하며, 고추·마늘에 대한 소비자의 선호와 구입패턴을 파악하고 유통단계별 가격 간 상호연관관계를 규명함으로써 수급 및 유통을 개선하기 위한 정책적 시사점을 도출하였다.

Chili peppers and garlic are essential agricultural materials for Korean food, account for a great portion in the volume of agricultural production, and are also politically important items. However, chili peppers and garlic have not been fully investigated about their distribution paths and features as a product, preference and purchase patterns thereof for consumption at home, processing and consumption for business, to result in inefficient political decision making and strategies in the industry for demand, supply and distribution thereof. This study aims to investigate distribution of chili peppers and garlic and consumer’s purchase patterns of chili peppers and garlic, and to empirically analyze the factors with effects on demand, supply and distribution thereof, and then to suggest political agendas for improving demand, supply and distribution thereof. A particular purpose of this study is to develop an objective index to analyze the trend of demand and supply; to investigate and analyze features and changes of major distribution paths of chili peppers and garlic produced in Korea and imported from other countries; to examine consumer’s preference and purchase patterns for chili peppers and garlic; to find the interrelationship between prices in each distribution step; and to develop political implications for improving demand, supply and distribution of chili peppers and garlic. For developing the demand and supply index and examining distribution, secondary data from involved institutions are used, for example, the household income and expenditure survey by the Statistics Korea, and the data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation, and the KITA. Field survey was conducted in parallel with questionnaires in order to examine distribution of chili peppers and garlic produced in Korea and imported from other countries. The surveyed people include 600 sample farmers in the Agricultural Outlook & Information Center, and distribution and processing companies for each item, including 3~15 local joint markets, Nonghyup business sites, local distributors, middle wholesalers, importers and primary processing companies, respectively. For investigating consumer’s preference and purchase patterns, research by means of questionnaires and investigation in each areas was conducted for 700 households, 300 restaurants, and 8 food processing companies. The regression analysis is made in order to statistically find out the factors of demand change and determinants for features of each household for chili peppers and garlic. The VECM (Vector Error Correction Model) is used for time series metric-analysis in order to find out inter-price relationship in each distribution step. The result is described below. First, a method of a simple process is suggested to estimate the volume of supply and consumption which includes the volume of imported products related to chili peppers and garlic for more accurate and fast decision. The method suggested here is to categorize chili peppers and garlic on the basis of consumption at home, processing and consumption for business, those produced in Korea and imported from other countries, the harvest period, storage and marketed periods. Second, chili peppers and garlic show different features of distribution and consumption depending on the period (harvest, storage and marketing) and use (consumption at home, processing, consumption for business). While dried chili peppers and whole heads of garlic are sold at the time of harvesting them, chili pepper powder or skinned garlic are sold at the time of storage after harvesting them. While chili peppers and garlic for consumption at home are sold in the harvesting period, chili peppers and garlic for consumption for business and processing are sold and consumed all the year round. Third, while the demand for chili peppers and garlic gradually decreases, the variable is replacement of chili peppers and garlic produced in Korea by those imported for processing and consumption for business. While the demand for consumption at home is nonelastically stable in relation to prices and income, chili peppers and garlic for processing and consumption for business respond elastically to the prices of those imported and produced in Korea. Therefore, the demand and prices of those produced in Korea can be affected by changes of demand for consumption for business and processing on a mid- and short- term basis. Fourth, distribution and consumption show increasing importance in primarily processed chili peppers and garlic, not the original product, for example, chili pepper powder and skinned garlic. Chili pepper powder processing companies and garlic skinning companies also carry on import and storage business in addition to processing chili peppers to form a business chain including wholesale business. Fifth, buyers for consumption at home make negative response to the quality and safety of chili peppers and garlic imported from China, and 94.0% and 91.6% of them check the origin of chili peppers and skinned garlic at the time of buying them. Buyers for consumption for business, 81% and 68%, respectively, also make negative response to the quality and safety of chili peppers and garlic imported from China. Sixth, the prices in each distribution step are balanced on the long-term basis. However, because there is a temporal difference between production -wholesale-retail on a short-term basis, which is asymmetrical, middle distributors are likely to profit therefrom. The following issues should be addressed in order to improve demand, supply and distribution of chili peppers and garlic. First, improve the method of making a demand and supply index to identify the current demand and supply fast and accurately. Second, effectively regulate violations of origin marking. Marking origins of processed garlic should be compulsory. Third, grade hot tastes to meet various consumer’s preferences. Fourth, expand local joint markets and promote cyber transactions and integrated e-transactions between wholesale markets. Propagate transaction information fast. Fifth, enhance the import management system by means of levying custom differences for expedients to people who re-process and sell imported frozen chili peppers as dried chili peppers or powder, assessing and managing importers, sharing information between involved departments, and through close cooperation.

Researchers: Yong-Sun Lee, Jae-Hwan Han, Eun-Soo Han, Hyung-Yong Lee, Ji-Yeon Kim, Byung-Il Ahn Research period: 2013. 6 ~ 12 E-mail address: yslee@krei.re.kr