| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000)
Fiscal Year 1992: ¥1,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000)
Fiscal Year 1991: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 1990: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000)
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| Research Abstract |
1. Quality of agricultural and livestock products is divided into inner elements (taste, degree of freshness, safety, etc.) and outer elements (brands, producing districts, grades, etc.). The former can be used as original meaning of "quality", the distinct and objective measures for the inner quality of rice, vegetables and fruit, or meat have not yet being established. However, there exist some attempts to measure quality scientifically, such as making a scale of measurement of the taste of rice, of measurement for the amount of sugar in fruit, of judgement for marbling in beef, and furthermore, making guideline for organic agricultural products. In the near future, it is expected that indications of quality should become more distinct for buyers. On the other hand, the latter outer quality is generalized as quality criteria for agricultural and livestock products which are distributing markets. However, the outer quality has become a mean of excessive competition. Although the grading are having been simplified in some items, the competition over the brand has been more serious since there is no adjustment organization. This is one of the causes for consumers misjudgment for quality. 2. Quality criteria in pricing agricultural and livestock products distributing market are grading, producting districts and varieties, and special indication for rice, standards (grades) and special indication growing for vegetables and fruit, and kinds, sex, and standards (yield rate and meat quality) for meat. There exists a certain correlation between the rank in these criteria and the actual pricing. However there is neither a rational nor distinct correlation between the quality differentials and the equivalent price differentials. This empirical study provides the evidence that the lack of rational correlation between the rank and the pricing affects disadvantageously for the producers' income and consumers' convenience.
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