コーヒーは我が国で、香しい風味と独特の飲み心地で親しまれている。缶コーヒーやインスタント製品も買えるし、一杯100円から200円前後のファーストフード店も登場しているためか、コーヒーの値段を気にかける人は少ないのではないだろうか。 しかしこのコーヒーは限られた発展途上国で生産されるのに、消費されるのは欧米などの先進諸国がほとんどだ。その上、価格はニューヨーク商品取引所の（注1）先物取引で基本的に決定され、小規模栽培が多い現地生産者は価格形成において無力に等しいと言う。こういう投機的で不公平な価格メカニズムが、先進国消費者の無知と無関心に支えられ、発展途上国の社会生活を著しく歪めていると言うのが本書の基本的な認識である。主に取り上げられているのは、我が国で人気の高い品種キリマンジャロだ。アフリカ・タンザニアで生産されるこのコーヒーは、生産量は多くないけれど、酸味が強くコクのある味わいが好まれている高級種の一つだ。著者の調査によると、日本の喫茶店で飲むキリマンジャロが一杯450円だとすると生産者の取り分は僅か2円に過ぎない。最近はコーヒーの国際価格が落ち込んだ上にタンザニアのシリング相場が降下して、日本のコーヒー価格は現地生産者価格の800倍を超える「驚愕の数字」になると言う。「コーヒーの香味は七割が（注2）生豆の生産・流通、二割が焙煎、一割が抽出の技術に依存する」のに、「七割の貢献」が何百分の一という価値にしか評価されないメカニズムこそ価格形成の歪みを示していると言うのだ。世界のコーヒー生産量の約4割はブラジルが占めている。しかも天候などによって生産量は毎年変化する。ところがブラジルの価格はニューヨークの先物取引で決まるため、投機対象とされて乱高下する。アフリカの生産者があずかり知らないうちに影響をもろにかぶってしまう。価格の下落が続くと、家族栽培がほとんどのタンザニアでは、生産者の生活が成り立たない。世帯主が（注3）出稼ぎに行かざるを得なくなるだけでなく、子どもを学校に行かせられなくなるなど影響は大きい。そこで生産者らの暮らしを保証する最低価格で取引を進めようというフェアトレードが大きな課題になってくると言う。実はこういう不公平な価格メカニズムはコーヒーに限らない。 バナナや養殖エビ、衣料など挙げ始めるときりがない。身の回りの品々がどういう仕組みで輸入されているか、現地の人々の暮らしを支える仕組みはどうなっているか。本書は単にコーヒーの問題を提起するだけでなく、私たちの暮らしと世界の繋がりを見る目を刺激して、おいしい飲み物や食べ物が、実は途上国の苦い現実から生まれていることを教えているのである。辻村英之著『おいしいコーヒーの経済論』の書評―久保田千秋による―
Coffee is popular in our country for its fragrant flavor and unique drinking experience. Since canned coffee and instant products are readily available, and fast-food shops offering a cup for around 100 to 200 yen have emerged, few people seem to worry about the price of coffee. However, this coffee is produced only in a limited number of developing countries, yet it is consumed almost entirely in developed nations such as those in Europe and North America.
Moreover, prices are fundamentally determined by futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (Note 1), leaving local producers, who are predominantly small-scale farmers, virtually powerless in price formation. The book's fundamental premise is that such a speculative and unfair pricing mechanism, sustained by the ignorance and indifference of consumers in developed countries, significantly distorts social life in developing nations. The primary focus is on the Kilimanjaro variety, which is highly popular in our country.
This coffee, produced in Tanzania, Africa, is one of the premium varieties favored for its strong acidity and rich flavor, despite its limited production volume. According to the author's research, if a cup of Kilimanjaro coffee at a Japanese café costs 450 yen, the producer's share is a mere 2 yen. Recently, with the decline in international coffee prices and the drop in the Tanzanian shilling exchange rate, the price of coffee in Japan has exceeded 800 times the local producer price, a staggering figure.
Although 'the aroma and taste of coffee depend 70% on the production and distribution of green beans (Note 2), 20% on roasting, and 10% on extraction techniques,' it is the mechanism by which this '70% contribution' is valued at a mere fraction of its worth that reveals the distortion in price formation. Brazil accounts for approximately 40% of the world's coffee production. Moreover, production volumes fluctuate annually due to weather and other factors. However, because Brazilian coffee prices are determined by futures trading in New York, they become subject to speculation and experience extreme volatility.
Producers in Africa bear the brunt of the impact without even being aware of it. As prices continue to fall, in Tanzania, where most cultivation is family-based, producers' livelihoods become unsustainable. Not only are household heads (Note 3) forced to seek work elsewhere, but the impact is significant, including children being unable to attend school. Consequently, fair trade, which aims to promote transactions at a minimum price to guarantee producers' livelihoods, is becoming a major challenge.
In fact, such an unfair pricing mechanism is not limited to coffee. If we start listing examples, there is no end to it: bananas, farmed shrimp, clothing, and so on. How are the items around us imported, and what is the mechanism that supports the livelihoods of local people? This book does more than simply raise the issue of coffee; it stimulates our eyes to see the connection between our lives and the world, teaching us that delicious drinks and foods are actually born from the bitter realities of developing countries.
A book review of 'The Economics of Delicious Coffee' by Hideyuki Tsujimura, written by Chiaki Kubota.
