Rice flows across regions in Madagascar
Discussion Papers
No.503
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
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