2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Fresh Produce Marketing System in Thailand

Research Project

Project/Area Number	23520965
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Research Field	Human geography
Research Institution	Daito Bunka University
Principal Investigator	ENDO Gen 大東文化大学, 国際関係学部, 准教授 (30307144)
Project Period (FY)	2011 – 2013
Keywords	東南アジア / タイ / 生鮮市場 / 流通 / 中間流通 / 多国籍小売企業 / 産地仲買人
Research Abstract	New overseas retail formats have been entering emerging markets, including Thailand, since the late 1990s. Accordingly, research on transnational retailers' advances into emerging markets have recently flourished. In case studies of Thailand, the specific roles of intermediaries throughout the entire retail and distribution system are commonly overlooked. This study argues that intermediaries continue to play an important role in Thailand's distribution systems, especially in the system of fresh vegetable distribution. After discussing the key roles of intermediaries in Thailand's vegetable distribution system, this study concludes that because modern retailers' involvement, particularly that of transnational retailers, at the agricultural production stage is still limited in Thailand, they often rely on intermediate distributors, such as local assembling wholesalers, coordinator-type intermediaries, and wholesale markets, for the intermediate distribution process.