The Function of Systematic Agricultural Cooperative Association in the Pork Market of Okinawa

従来、沖縄県内の肉豚を取り扱う主な商業資本は家畜商であり、なかには、と畜処理、小売までも営業する家畜商が多く存在していた。これらの家畜商は豚肉流通の各段階に深く介入し、価格決定についても多大の主導力をもっていた。ところが、系統農協の豚肉関連事業の展開と大型小売業の台頭は県内の豚肉流通構造を変化させ、家畜商の独占的な地位を弱めつつある。それによって、沖縄の豚肉市場は系統農協主導型と商系資本主導型という2つの流通システムへの二極分化の傾向が見られる。その中で、系統農協による肉豚共販事業及び第三セクター方式を導入した食肉センターの開設は、養豚農家の出荷パターンに影響したのみならず、農家自身の肉豚生産計画の向上にも貢献した。また、生産環境の悪化による県内の豚肉供給力の低下に歯止めをかけ、養豚生産者の再生産を維持するために、系統農協主導のインテグレーションを推進している。The purpose of this paper is to find out the structural changes of hog breeding and the trend of reformation of pork market in Okinawa. According to the above objectives, the variety of functions of Okinawa's systematic agricultural cooperative association (agri-coop association) would be considered. The pork dealers who also held slaughterhouse had led the pork market of Okinawa strongly up to 1980's. Because they controlled all the paths of the market from hog purchase to pork retail. On account of enforcement of appointed slaughterhouse project after Okinawa's reversion to Japan, the dealers lost their position as a powerful role in the market. Moreover, two types of contribution system are forming in the market. One is organized by systematic agri-coop association of Okinawa, the other one is connected by the group of commercial capital. The systematic agri-coop association has started many marketing programs in 1970's to assist individual breeders for selling the hog. But these programs are fixed and enlarged after the agri-coop association merged some slaughterhouses into its own one, and reorganized the slaughterhouse to be a semi-government (daisan) sector. Especially, wholesale market system is not adopted in Okinawa. So, this semi-governmental slaughterhouse is acting as pork dealer in the same time. Besides, the agri-coop association extended its marketing strategies continually such as cooperative feed plant, breeding yards, supermarkets (A-coop), etc. Hence, it can be said that the agri-coop association of Okinawa is promoting integrative management in pork market, and try to oppose the contribution system of commercial capital