Effect of selling area, period, and type on the price of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) in Japan

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is a member of the mallow family and is native to Africa.
It is rich in dietary fibers, such as pectin, and is well known in Japan as a healthy vegetable.
However, according to previous reports, India, Nigeria, and Mali rank 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd, respectively, in okra yield worldwide, whereas Japan ranks 26^th. Furthermore, though consumption of okra in Japan is lower than that of carrot and tomato, it is considered a “regional specialty vegetable”. Therefore, this study examined the production area, fruit color and shape, and selling price of okra in Japan to understand how to better enhance its production and consumption.
We conducted market research in Kagoshima, Kochi, Okinawa, and Kumamoto, the main okra production areas, and the capital area, the main consumption area in Japan from August to September 2021 and April to September 2022. In the capital area, Japanese commodities were sold during all survey months and overseas commodities were sold from April to June.
The selling price per fruit in the Japanese commodities was highest in April (52.3 yen (US$ 0.40)) and lowest in July (15.8-22.9 yen (US$ 0.12-0.18)). The most common type of okra sold in Japan was green five-ridged okra, but other types were also sold.
The selling price per fruit of the red five-ridged okra and the green multiple-ridged okra was 1.6-35.6 yen (US$ 0.012-0.27) higher than that of the green five-ridged okra.
This study revealed that selling area, period, and type affect okra price.
In the future, we plan to examine differences in okra consumer characteristics by selling areas in Japan and develop a novel okra cultivation method based on climate and consumption.

IV Asian Horticultural Congress – AHC2023

L. Sato, N. Miyamoto, S. Motoki

farmers’ market, fruit color, fruit shape, market research, okra production, selling area, supermarket

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1404.200