제당 산업 실태와 발전 방안

Abstract

제당산업이 가지고 있는 산업의 중요성과 국민적 관심에도 불구하고 국내 원당 수입과 가치사슬, 원당과 정제당을 이용하는 가공산업, 국제 원당 시장의 국내 파급 영향 등에 관한 연구는 미미한 실정이다. 이에 본 연구는 제당산업의 구조 및 경쟁상황, 원당과 정제당 수입 관련 제도 등의 분석을 통하여 제당산업의 문제점을 식별하고, 제당산업 효율성 제고를 위한 발전 방안을 도출하고자 한다. 특히, 꾸준히 제기되고 있는 가격 전이의 비대칭성 현상의 검증을 위해 원당의 수입에서부터 가공단계를 거쳐 소비자에게 전달되는 가치사슬 전반을 고려하여 문제가 되는 유통단계를 살펴보고자 한다.세부적으로는 국제 원당 시장과 국내 산업 여건 등의 환경을 고려한 효율적·안정적 원당 확보 방안을 제시하고, 제당산업의 시장구조 및 성과 분석과 국외 주요국 사례 분석을 통하여 국내 제당산업의 효율성 제고 방안을 모색하고자 한다.

Background and Purpose ○ This study aims to identify problems of the sugar manufacturing industry through analysis of the structure and competition in the sugar manufacturing industry and the importing system for raw sugar and refined sugar in Korea. It also aims to derive a development plan for improving the efficiency of the sugar manufacturing industry. In particular, to verify the asymmetry of price transmission this study inspects the distribution stages through the overall value chain from raw sugar imports to the consumers. Specifically speaking, this study suggests an effective measure to acquire raw sugars and finds a way to increase the efficiency of the sugar manufacturing industry in Korea through the market structure based on the result analysis of the sugar manufacturing industry and the case study of major overseas countries.Research Methodology○ We conducted a quantitative analysis using the time series data and case studies of other countries. We also reviewed prior research papers related to the sugar manufacturing industry to identify the specific evaluation indicators through the theory of the market structure and performance analysis in economics. The quantitative analysis using the time series data was utilized for the analysis of determinants of raw sugar import volume. The productivity analysis of the industry, inflation analysis (analysis of asymmetric price transfer), and the explanation for the estimation model were described in addition to the analysis results. For the case study of major overseas countries, we inspected the current state of the sugar manufacturing industries in Canada with high reliance on overseas imports, like Korea, the U.S. with a significant influence on the international sugar market, and Australia and Thailand—main import sources for Korea’s sugar industry. Key Findings and Implications○ Korea imports cane raw sugar from Australia and Thailand to produce refined sugar, mainly white sugar. Korea exports the excessive volume after domestic consumption to China and Hong Kong. However, the export volume slightly decreased due to China’s recent safeguard promotion. As raw sugar and refined sugar are mainly used as food ingredients, countries apply tariffs to protect their countries’ refined sugar industry. Korea also protects its industry by imposing import tariffs on raw sugar and refined sugar. In Korea, three large sugar manufacturers lead the market. As their market shares are very high, they can be called dominant players as defined in the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act. Additionally, it is hard for new players to enter the industry due to the characteristics of the process industry. The result of the value chain analysis and inflation analysis using the input-output table for the refined sugar industry in Korea showed that raw sugar was the most input to the refined sugar industry, and refined sugar was most used as ingredients in the food and beverage manufacturing industry. The inflation analysis showed that when the import unit price of raw sugar rose, so did the prices of refined sugar, rice cake, bread, confectionery, feed, and non-alcoholic drinks. The analysis of the ripple effect using the consumer price index showed that when there was 1% increase in raw sugar’s import unit price, the sugar price increased approximately 0.50% in the long run. However, when the unit price decreased 1%, the sugar price fell by approximately 0.35%. For 1% increase or decrease in the refined sugar, the sugar price increased or decreased approximately 0.93% or 0.72%, respectively, indicating the presence of asymmetric price transfer. (For more information, please refer to the report.)