Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/8355

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of local distributors of apples for export in Aomori, Japan. Recently, the apples for export to Taiwan are remarkably increasing. The local distribution channel is an organization made up of mainly three distributors ; private companies, agricultural cooperatives, and cooperatives of joint selling. And they independently export apples to the overseas market. However, the distribution system is originally developed for domestic selling, and it is not completely adjusted to exports. Consequently, there are some functional differences between each distributor ; product standard at the time of primary collection and collection/marketing abilities, which leads to obstacles to international trade. The problem is that the distributors are remaining as mere collectors of the products, just passively reacting to market demands abroad.