An uncertain future

This is the impression one gets when one realises how strongly the string of catastrophes in north-east Japan is influencing even the global pet supplies business. Here globalisation and the advanced interconnectedness of the world are manifest to an extent rarely observed before. This is especially the case because Japan is not some insignificant dot on the map. The Far Eastern world economic power has the world’s second-biggest pet market. Every year the country exports thousands of wonderful koi specimens to all corners of the globe. Japanese food for ornamental fish has a good reputation on every continent, and the country’s manufacturers are renowned for their products in other pet supplies segments too. Now Japan’s equilibrium has been severely disrupted. The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe have seriously damaged the infrastructure in large parts of the country. Petrol is scarce, food and raw ingredients have been contaminated, transport has been disrupted – it’s no wonder that many people are at the end of their tether. What is particularly distressing is that even now, weeks after the disaster unfolded, countless aftershocks are causing fear and trepidation among the inhabitants. It’s clear that in these circumstances the country’s leading trade show, the Japan Pet Fair, had to be cancelled this year. Most people in Japan have other things on their mind than visiting trade shows at the moment. Predicting when normality will return to Japan is not possible at present. Until it is known how long the situation at the Fukushima nuclear plant will continue, we can only speculate about the country’s future. This applies to the pet sector too. Experts believe, however, that many manufacturers of pet products will cease to exist in future, or will continue in a changed form. There is even speculation that pet food manufacturers will move their production plants abroad to be able to carry on operating at all. Nothing will be the same in Japan in the future as it once was.Yours Ralf Majer-Abele Download: An uncertain future (PDF file)