‘Sisa Planning Window’ Public wholesale market entity, auction-centered agricultural product prices… What is the solution?

-[더셀럽 김희서 기자] The current status and background of the public wholesale market’s’auction-centered’ distribution structure is for whom and why the introduction of a competitive system for producers and consumers is not conducted in-depth.

In KBS1’s’Preview Planning Window’, broadcast on the 19th,’The Secret of Agricultural Product Prices, Who Makes Money?’ The side is drawn.

A couple who farmed in Jeju Island last year took their own lives. Even though they carefully cultivated agricultural products, they were suffering from financial difficulties because they could not find a market. It is not just the couple’s problem that they have difficulty finding a market for agricultural products like this or not receiving the proper price. Even after a good harvest, the so-called’disposal of mountainous areas’ is being repeated in the fields of rural areas.

‘Why are farmers not getting their price? Who determines the price of agricultural products and how?’ To find the answer to this question, a KBS reporter directly harvested cabbages and potatoes in Gangwon-do and shipped them to Garak Market, Seoul, the central public wholesale market in Korea. However, for each wholesale market subsidiary that hosts the auction, the price of new potatoes varies by 4.5 times from 7,000 won to 32,000 won per 20 kilogram box. The specialty of 12 cabbages also ranged from 6,500 won to 11,000 won. Even though they were selected and shipped in the same field and in similar sizes, prices were different for each wholesale market corporation and auction company.

As a result of obtaining and analyzing data on 13 items of fruits and vegetables traded at Garak Market in Seoul in September, the report team found that 33% of the total 220,000 cases were successful in 3 seconds. In addition, more than 8,000 cases were auctioned within one second. It was confirmed that there were even cases where an auctioneer called a specific middleman separately to conduct a 1:1 auction. The auction system is that suspicious transactions that are different from the public belief that the pricing process is transparent and fair are taking place in the public wholesale market.

In public wholesale markets, wholesale market corporations are responsible for conducting auctions on behalf of local governments. Regardless of the fluctuations in prices of agricultural products, they collect up to 7% of the winning bid as a commission and earn hundreds of billions of won each year. Once designated as a wholesale market corporation, there is no fear of withdrawal unless there is any other reason. So, the wholesale market corporation in Garak Market in Seoul is trading for tens of billions of won, and the major shareholders are construction companies and steel companies that are not related to agriculture.

Some academic experts, farmers, and consumer groups continue to urge the introduction of a competitive system in the public wholesale market, such as the’Market Wholesaler System’, in which producers can participate in the process of determining agricultural products and reduce the distribution stage. However, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has maintained a passive position in introducing the’Market Wholesaler System’ for more than 20 years, even though the current law has established the basis. Furthermore, related laws have been revised one after another to solidify the position of wholesale market corporations.

‘Current Planning Window’ is broadcast every Saturday at 8:05 pm.

[더셀럽 김희서 기자 news@fashionmk.co.kr / 사진=KBS 제공]

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