FARM PRICE ESTIMATION WHEN THERE IS BARGAINING: THE CASE OF PROCESSED FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Raw product prices for many processed fruits and vegetables are determined in part as an outcome of negotiations between processors and farmer bargaining associations. In such cases, unique market equilibrium solutions may not exist. This study develops a framework for price prediction under bargaining and applies it to the California cling peach industry. The price prediction equation turns out to involve the same variables as would a model specified for perfect competition. Hence a mistaken assumption about the structure of competition may still provide a model that predicts well, provided the structure remains constant.