Improving the material and technical base of the industry, including food industry, to the level of world standards is a prerequisite for increasing the national competitiveness of the economy. There is an especially urgent problem of increasing the level of development of the material and technical base for enterprises in the Baikal region, where food industry is a major budget revenue generating industry. The statistical analysis of material and technical base of the food industry in the Baikal region revealed serious problems: a low level of renewal of fixed assets and a reduction in investment in fixed assets; an increase in the degree of wear and tear and the proportion of completely worn out fixed assets of the food industry. These negative trends affect the fact that the volumes of production in agriculture and the food industry, as well as the level of utilization of production capacities, are decreasing, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises are falling. The research identified main directions of improving the technical and technological level of the food industry in the Baikal region to radically reconstruct and modernize the production base of food enterprises, equip them with modern technology, introduce the latest low-waste, resource-saving and environmentally friendly technologies, which, ultimately, will lead to the transition of the industry to an innovation-driven growth model.

The relevance of the article is due to the fact that the food industry is one of the backbone elements of the Russian economy. The role of the industry in providing the population of the country with food products, its close ties with agriculture and its participation in the formation of the export potential determine its strategic importance. An efficient, highly productive, dynamically growing food industry is a priority in achieving high national competitiveness and ensuring the economic security of the state. The development of the food industry is an important priority for the Baikal region, given its social significance, its importance in the total volume of industrial products sold and the export of the region’s goods. The issues of developing directions for increasing the efficiency of the food industry enterprises that correspond to the specifics of the modern stage of its development in Russia and the regions and the urgent tasks of the state policy remain relevant. The purpose of the study is to analyze the current state and determine characteristic trends in the development of the food industry using the example of the Baikal region. On the basis of the carried out analysis, the article formulates recommendations for improving the efficiency of the food industry in the Baikal region: formation of a cluster of food and agricultural products; creation of an innovative infrastructure; development of marketing strategy, etc.

The relevance of the study is based on the importance of improving the management system for the effective development of the food industry in the Baikal region and agricultural production and the inability of the region to realize its potential in this area. The main research hypothesis of this study is that the development and implementation of a food industry cluster on the territory of the Baikal region, the stability and predictability of the external macroenvironment will have a positive effect on the food industry and will create preconditions for its future development. The purpose of the research is to study, identify, analyze and evaluate the characteristics and main aspects of the food industry in the Baikal region, on the basis of which it will be possible to identify advantageous management methods for the possibility of improving activities in this industry, allowing us to develop its potential. A SWOT analysis of the food industry in the Baikal region is presented, it is substantiated that the formation of integration and intersectoral relationships between food industry enterprises within the cluster will solve many problems.