Major Korean farm produce, average (2024)

PRICE CONTROLLER MAP

Half of a farm-produce price is added after the farm. Who makes that share?

Traced price → cost → margin → control → bottleneck; who moved the price comes last, only as far as the evidence goes. No scores.

1. 01 · Price

   What moved, and by how much?

   Observation VERIFIED

   Average distribution cost rate 49.2% (2024), up from 44.8% in 2014. Of every 100 won paid, farmers receive 50.8.

   국회예산정책처 「농산물 유통구조 개선사업 평가」(2026.7.16) — aT 「2024년 주요 농산물 유통실태」 인용

2. 02 · Cost

   Which costs rose?

   Distributor / retailer · Cost contribution VERIFIED

   Shipping 9.4% · wholesale 14.2% · retail 25.6% of the consumer price; direct costs 16.5%, indirect 18.4%. Retail grew most, 23.2 → 25.6% (2014→2024).

   국회예산정책처 「농산물 유통구조 개선사업 평가」(2026.7.16) — aT 「2024년 주요 농산물 유통실태」 인용

   No evidence (unknown): Raw-material supplier, The industry as a whole, Shopper behaviour

3. 03 · Margin

   Who keeps how much?

   Distributor / retailer · Margin capture VERIFIED

   The survey’s profit is 14.3% (the residual after direct and indirect costs), not any firm’s net margin. How it splits across stages is not in this data.

   국회예산정책처 「농산물 유통구조 개선사업 평가」(2026.7.16) — aT 「2024년 주요 농산물 유통실태」 인용

   Raw-material supplier · Margin capture VERIFIED

   Farmers receive 50.8%, out of which they pay production costs; farm net income is not in this data.

   국회예산정책처 「농산물 유통구조 개선사업 평가」(2026.7.16) — aT 「2024년 주요 농산물 유통실태」 인용

   No evidence (unknown): The industry as a whole, Shopper behaviour

4. 04 · Control

   Who sets, passes on and holds the price?

   No evidence (unknown): Raw-material supplier, Distributor / retailer, The industry as a whole, Shopper behaviour

5. 05 · Bottleneck

   Who holds the chokepoint?

   Distributor / retailer · Market concentration ESTIMATED

   A study estimates online wholesale cuts the cost rate to wholesale by about 11 points — a sign the existing wholesale route adds cost, not evidence of any one firm’s market power.

   Basis: Chungnam National University estimate: online wholesale cuts the distribution cost rate to wholesale from 18.84% to 7.77%. · confidence Medium

   국회예산정책처 「농산물 유통구조 개선사업 평가」(2026.7.16) — aT 「2024년 주요 농산물 유통실태」 인용

   No evidence (unknown): Raw-material supplier, The industry as a whole, Shopper behaviour

06 · Who benefits

So who is moving this price most?

Primary price driver VERIFIED

Distributor / retailer

Of the 4.4-point rise in the distribution cost rate (2014→2024): retail +2.4, wholesale +2.6, shipping −0.6. The increase came from wholesale and retail.

국회예산정책처 「농산물 유통구조 개선사업 평가」(2026.7.16) — aT 「2024년 주요 농산물 유통실태」 인용

Margin capturer UNKNOWN

No one can be named on the evidence

No stage- or firm-level split of the 14.3% profit.

Bottleneck holder UNKNOWN

No one can be named on the evidence

Wholesale-market designation and share data not linked yet.

Price leader UNKNOWN

No one can be named on the evidence

An average cannot show a price leader.

Confirmed collusion UNKNOWN

No one can be named on the evidence

No FTC decision or court ruling linked to this case.

• An average across major produce; individual items differ widely.

Checked 2026-10-08 · Why a price is high and who keeps the money can differ, so roles are listed separately.

✓ ANALYSED

Analyses you can open

• Distribution DetectiveOf ₩10,000 spent on farm produce, how much reaches the farmer?

△ NOT ANALYSED YET

Angles that apply but are still empty

Not applicable: Discount Detective, Hype Detective, Privacy Detective