The Domestic and International Competition between Producing Districts of Rush and Structural Problems of Rush Industry in Kumamoto Prefecture

本研究旨在探讨熊本县草业产区间的竞争与草业结构问题的成因。以下县有超过10公顷的土地专门用于紧急生产：石川(11公顷)、冈山(15公顷)、广岛(55公顷)、高知(30公顷)、福冈(I34公顷)、佐贺(33公顷)、熊本(2590公顷)和冲绳(15公顷)。熊本县是日本最大的灯芯草产区，占国内灯芯草总产量的89.6%，从1990年开始，从中国进口的低价灯芯草产品在这段时间里激增。相应地，随着全球紧急生产的地域重组，日本的紧急生产自给率从1990年的87%下降到2000年的41%。冈山县和广岛县的批发分销商在熊本县紧急生产的发展中发挥了重要作用。冈山的经销商在日本经济高速增长的时候开始从国外进口抢购产品，这刺激了抢货生产的地理重组。广岛的经销商开始从熊本县和高知县采购灯笼草，使该县能够保持生产高质量鞑靼米面的传统。由于熊本县是一个规模化的低价鞑靼米产地，在20世纪90年代的S时代，它输给了中国热销产品的竞争，导致抢种面积迅速减少，熊本县现在面临着生产低成本、高质量的鞑靼米的任务。为了实现这一目标，许多宣传计划已经到位。1996年，开始努力改善草莓的品种，1999年制定了促进草莓生产的行动计划，目前正在实施中。

The purpose of this study is.to investigate the competition between producing districts of rush and the causes of structural problems of rush industry in Kumamoto Prefecture.As of the year 2000, Japan had 2,890ha of land under rush cultivation. The following prefectures had more than 10ha of land dedicated to rush production : Ishikawa (11ha), Okayama (15ha), Hiroshima (55ha), Kochi(30), Fukuoka(I34ha), Saga(33ha), Kumamoto (2,590ha), and Okinawa(15ha). Kumamoto is the largest rush producing prefecture in all of Japan, accounting for fully 89.6% of total domestic rush production.From 1990 onward, imports of low-priced rush products from China swelled in this period. Accordingly, Japan's rush self-sufficiency ratio declined from 87% in 1990, to as low as 41% in 2000, the geographic reorganization of global rush production moved forward.Wholesale distributors in Okayama and Hiroshima Prefectures played a large role in the development of rush production in Kumamoto Prefecture. Distributers in Okayama spurred the geographic reorganization of rush production when they began to import rush products from abroad around the time of Japan's high-growth econmy. Hiroshima distributers began to procure rush from Kumamoto and Kochi Prefectures, enabling.the prefecture to maintain its tradition of producing high-quality tatami facing. Because Kumamoto Prefecture was a large-scale producing district of low-priced tatami facing, it lost out to competition from Chinese rush products in the 1990' s, causing the area of land under rush cultivation to fall rapidly.Kumamoto Prefecture is now faced with the task of producing low-cost, high-quality tatami-facing. In order to achieve this, many promotional programs have been put into place. In 1996, an effort began to improve the breed of rush, and in 1999 an action plan to promote rush production was developed and is currently under implementation.