Abstract

Market, governance, and business organization are interlocked to affect milkfish harvesting, processing, and distribution. This article explores how processer-traders in Simu, a milkfish hub located in southwest Taiwan, manage businesses of milkfish distribution and processing. Their business culture is tied to economic decisions influenced by the livelihoods of their families and community members. I adopted participant observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis in this ethnographic research conducted in July 2012, and between January 2014 and April 2015. This article first explores the domestic milkfish wholesaling and distribution system; it then documents the development of low-temperature milkfish supply chains; it also discusses trade liberalization, governance, and processor-traders’ business strategies; last but not least, it analyzes the business culture of processor-traders. The experiences of processor-traders show that cooperation and competition co-exist in Taiwanese milkfish sector as the mixed strategies of business people to survive in the market. In conclusion, I suggest that the analytical framework of petty capitalism can be applied to rural Taiwan with a careful analysis of the characteristics of agro-food products during production, post-harvest handling, processing, distribution, and marketing. I argue that regional network across time and space, sub-contract networks, cultural practices, and adaptation to market changes are key factors contributing to rural petty capitalism, livelihoods fishemen’s and communities, and the low-temperature seafood supply chain in Taiwan.