Reports
Discussion Papers
No.503 Rice flows across regions in Madagascar
by Tsilavo Ralandison, Yutaka Arimoto , Hisaki Kono, Takeshi Sakurai, Kazushi Takahashi
March 2015
ABSTRACT
Although
spatial
disintegration
of
rice
markets
in
Madagascar
has
been
well
documented,
little
is
known
about
actual
rice
flows
across
regions.
Using
weekly
collected
unique
data
from
rice
markets
in
22
regional
capital
cities
for
one
year,
this
study
explores
the
physical
distribution
of
rice
in
Madagascar
and
reveals
that
rice
flows
from
sufficient
regions
to
deficit
regions,
along
with
geographical
proximity,
have
positive
effects
on
rice
flow.
In
contrast,
season
factors,
such
as
harvest/non-harvest
periods
and
weather
conditions
have
a
negligible
effect
on
rice
flow.
These
findings
suggest
that
rice
flows
generally
follow
a
rational
pattern
despite
the
fact
that
market
indicators
indicate
that
rice
trade
across
regions
is
underdeveloped.
Keywords:
commodity
flow,
origin,
destination,
rice,
Madagascar
Please note that discussion papers are works in various stages of progress and most have not been edited and proofread and may contain errors of fact or judgment. Revised versions of these papers may subsequently appear in more formal publication series. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s). The IDE does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included and accepts no responsibility for any consequences arising from its use.