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

本研究的目的是。探讨熊本县灯芯草产区间的竞争状况及灯芯草产业结构性问题的成因。截至2000年，日本有2890公顷的土地处于匆忙耕种状态。石川县（11公顷）、冈山县（15公顷）、广岛县（55公顷）、高知县（30公顷）、福冈县（34公顷）、佐贺县（33公顷）、熊本县（2590公顷）、冲绳县（15公顷）的土地都超过了10公顷。熊本是全日本最大的火绒产地，占国内火绒总产量的89.6%。从1990年开始，从中国进口的低价产品在此期间激增。相应地，日本的匆忙自给率从1990年的87%下降到2000年的41%，全球匆忙生产的地域重组向前推进。冈山县和广岛县的批发经销商在熊本县的急生产发展中发挥了很大的作用。在日本经济高速增长的时候，冈山的经销商开始从国外进口灯心草产品，从而推动了灯心草生产的地域重组。广岛经销商开始从熊本县和高知县采购，使。该县保持其生产高品质榻榻米的传统。由于熊本县是面向低价榻榻米的大规模生产区，在20世纪90年代失去了与中国灯心产品的竞争，导致灯心种植面积迅速减少。熊本县现在面临着生产低成本、高品质榻榻米的任务。为了实现这一目标，已经实施了许多促销计划。1996年，开始努力改善牛蒡的品种，1999年制定了一项促进牛蒡生产的行动计划，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.