일본의 곶감산업 동향 } : 한국농촌경제연구원

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연구보고서

일본의 곶감산업 동향

2010.06.01 57906

과제성격

연구자료(D284)
저자

김경필, 석현덕
등록일

2010.06.01
연구주제

국제농업.

원문보기 좋아요

요약문

일본에서 곶감은 명절 및 제사에 길조를 비는 제수용품과 간식 등으로 다양하게 소비되고 있다. 하지만 최근에 일본의 곶감산업도 소비계층 확대와 상품화 과정에서 전환기를 맞고 있다.
곶감 선호도가 연령이 높은 계층에서 높지만, 젊은 계층에서는 수요가 낮아 수요 확대방안을 강구중에 있다. 고령화와 노동력 부족으로 농가에서 제품화하기 어려워진 여건을 농협에서 생감 수매, 가공, 상품화함으로써 판매 물량의 안정적 확보와 품질이 향상된 곶감을 공급하는 방향으로 산업 활로를 찾고 있다.
일본의 곶감 수입량은 일본 내 생산이 증가하면서 2005년 이후 급감하고 있다. 한국산 곶감도 1990년대에는 매년 20∼60톤 정도를 수입하였지만 최근에 저가의 중국산 곶감에 비해 경쟁력이 낮아져 수입이 거의 이루어지지 않고 있다.
한국의 떫은감 생산 및 가공제품이 빠르게 증가하면서 몇 년 후 공급과잉까지도 우려되고 있는 실정이다. 따라서 떫은감의 다양한 가공 상품화와 수출시장 발굴로 소비확대와 수출증대를 위한 방안 마련이 필요한 시점이다.

Astringent persimmon is a major fruit produced in Japan after tangerine, apple and pear. The cultivation area, however, has been decreasing each year and in 2008, 266,600tons of persimmons were produced on 23,000 ㏊ of land. Major production regions are Wakayama Prefecture (20.2%), Nara Prefecture (10.9%), Fukuoka Prefecture (7.8%), Gifu Prefecture (6.2%), Fukushima Prefecture (6.0%), and Aichi Prefecture (5.5%). These six prefectures account for 56.6% of total national output.
As dried astringent persimmon production increased in Japan, the amount of imported dried Astringent persimmons has been declining sharply since 2005. As of November 2009, the cumulative amount of dried astringent persimmons imported to Japan stood at 661 tons. In the 1990s, Korea exported twenty to sixty tons of astringent persimmons to Japan annually. But since the beginning of 2000s, astringent persimmon exports are almost nonexistent due to low-priced Chinese astringent persimmons.
In Japan, dried astringent persimmons are used for ancestral rites on New Year's Day and other holidays. The fruit is sold the most from December to January and is consumed in various ways as snacks. The fruit is popular among old generations, and its consumption is on an increasing trend. However, the demand is low among younger age groups.
Thanks to advancement of storage technology and development of air-tight containers and oxygen absorbants, dried persimmons with tender texture are put on the market, and the preference for dried astringent persimmons with less seeds is high. As for the color and size, rather deep red persimmons are popular and 2L and L sizes are preferred.
Since the agricultural cooperative Nonghyup(JA) educates farmers with guidelines and manages the cultivation process, quality and safety management from cultivation to harvesting is performed relatively well. In the meantime, the share of farms processing astringent persimmons for shipment to Nonghyup(JA) had been high. However, due to the aging of farmers and labor shortage, Nonghyup(JA) has recently taken over the function of processing astringent persimmons in addition to merchandising the processed products. Since it has become possible for Nonghyup(JA) to process astringent persimmons on a one-stop basis from sorting, peeling, drying, and packaging to low-temperature storing, the delivery rate was improved and the whole process including quality and safety management and merchandising is done systematically.
In order to secure a stable supply of raw materials and build up a quality management system, Nonghyup(JA) needs to work closely with farmers and provide them with personalized technology guidance. In order to improve merchandising and marketing in response to the aging of farmers and labor shortage, it is highly necessary to support Nonghyup(JA)'s distribution centers in major production areas and induce their systematization and specialization. A strict quality management system should also be introduced to make the merchandising process sensible and transparent.
Korea's sliced-dried astringent persimmons are seedless and convenient to eat, and the product is appraised to have the power to create new demand both in Korea and Japan. Accordingly, it is necessary to carry out marketing and PR activities more aggressively. Although the sliced-dried persimmons are little expensive, the product is appraised to be high in sugar content and quality, and capable of creating new demand by upgrading the product and targeting the upscale market in Japan. In order to create new demand in Japan, more efforts should be made for quality and safety management, packaging, and entry into distribution channels.

Researchers: Kyung-Phil Kim, Hyun-Deok Seok
E-mail address: kkphil@krei.re.kr