Assessment of Competitiveness of Agricultural Products in the Global Market: Regional Aspect

Abstract

The paper addresses the issues of improving the methodological tools for assessing competitiveness and analyzing the export orientation of agricultural markets. The relevance of the study is determined by the new course of Russian agricultural policy aimed at increasing exports and strengthening competitive positions in the global market. The main objectives of the study are to assess the export orientation and competitiveness of agricultural products in the regions of the Russian Federation (RF), which are characterized by diverse export orientations and different levels of agricultural development due to regional variations in agroclimatic conditions and spatial heterogeneity. The study aims to identify and demonstrate the sectoral characteristics of the regions. The priority characteristics are not climatic and environmental or socio-economic conditions (in contrast to traditional approaches), but changes in the volume and structure of agricultural production, the agricultural export/import ratio, and investment volumes, which are affected by agricultural state policy. The study is based on the general scientific methodology, which includes the systematic approach and general scientific methods of cognition (dialectical, deduction, decomposition, methods of economic analysis and synthesis) to achieve the aim of the study. To attain the objectives, we calculated the export coefficients and determined the export priority and competitiveness of agricultural products in relation to the country and to individual areas of Central Black Earth (CBE) region. The methodological tools proposed in the study can be used as an integral part of monitoring the development of strategies and programs for the improvement of export-oriented agricultural sectors in agro-industrial regions.