The purpose of this study is to identify the status of coarse grains produced in Korea and to find implications required for facilitating the Korean minor cereal industry on the basis of conversion of consumer’s preference and the direction of agricultural policies. To this purpose, we collect and analyze basic data for identifying the status of Korean minor cereal industry through survey of distribution of coarse grains produced in Korea.
There is a great opportunity for increasing production and distribution of coarse grains produced in Korea. With the spread of food consumption pattern oriented to healthy living and increasing old-age groups, consumer preference for coarse grains produced in Korea is still high. Changes of agricultural policies contribute to the great opportunity for increasing the market of coarse grains produced in Korea as well. That is, it is encouraged to grow other crops instead of rice in paddies by means of support policies because of accumulated rice stocks resulting from recent decrease in rice consumption in Korea.
Referring to the result of this study, coarse grains, e.g., millet, foxtail millet, Indian millet, adzuki beans, etc., are valuable for different use as well as healthy functional food. Therefore, it is necessary to make an effort for advertising and commercializing the use of coarse grains mentioned above. By the way, cultivation of coarse grains still depends highly on manual work because of the low level of mechanized farming and it has a weak basis for soil management, e.g., drainage and water supply facilities which is thus a factor of lowering productivity and lower quality. However, it is necessary to attempt diversified cropping systems including cropping paddies, fields, etc., for improving farmers" income as well as efficient use of farm land, since coarse grain has short growing period as compared to low productivity and a wide range of adaptation to the environment.
With reference to current distribution of millet, foxtail millet, Indian millet, adzuki beans, etc. Nonghyup as a processing and selling union of farmers rather than local distributors have been engaged in distribution. Even though farmers" association has a high market share in producers" market, the share of Nonghyup as a processer and seller in wholesale market is significantly low as compared to the high share of private processors and wholesalers. The reason that a high share of farmers’ associations in producers" market is not connected to the step of wholesale is due to the significantly improving capacity of private processors and intermediate wholesalers for processing and selling the cereals. However, the scale of Nonghyup’s processing and selling coarse grains at the wholesale step is stagnant, resulting in farmers associations’ lowered competitiveness as compared to the private business sector.
Coarse grains can be a highly usable factor for vitalizing local agriculture. Coarse grains can be cultivated with less agricultural chemicals and are environment-friendly crops as well. Therefore, it is worth to actively enhance the farming structure of coarse grains, focused on individual farm households to organize specialized business based on local agriculture and to promote construction of production bases, e.g., installation of drainage in hillside paddies for encouraging to cultivate coarse grains in the paddies, abd installation of hire business sites for farm machines and equipment.