Laboratory of Forest Policy, Division of Forest Environment and Management Sciences, Department of Agro–environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University
九州大学農学研究院森林機能制御学森林政策学
In the results of survey on operating state of pine nut processors located in Gapyeong–gun, Gyeonggi–do and Hongcheon–gun, Gangwon–do, representative pine nut producing area, the total purchasing amount of pine nuts with a cone of Gapyeong–gun, Gyeonggi–do was 500~4,000 bags (1 bag is 80 kg), of which average amount per processor was 2000 bags. The price range per bag of pine nuts was 470~620 thousand won and the average price was 550 thousand won. Total purchase price of pine nuts with a cone per processor averaged 1.2 billion won and the mean net income per bag of pine nuts with a cone was 35 thousand won. Total purchasing amount of pine nuts with a cone of Hongcheon–gun, Gangwon–do was 1,000~2,000 bags, averaging 1,500 bags per processor and the price range per bag of pine nuts with a cone was 580~630 thousand won, averaging 610 thousand won. Total purchase price of pine nuts with a cone per processor averaged 0.9 billion won and the mean net income per bag of pine nuts with a cone was 100 thousand won. However, 9 processors among total 16 processors answered to plan to maintain the present state because of difficulty in securing material amount of pine nuts with a cone, low profitability, poor selling, lack of equipment introducing fund, and lack of pine nuts purchasing fund for future business scale. Therefore, it was suggested that in order to activate local economy through maintenance and expansion of pine nut processors, financial supports such as low interest loan for expansion of processing amount were necessary in the short run and expansion of new forestation and crown shape control to facilitate seed exploitation as well as work enforcement such as thinning for increase of yield was required in the long run.