СУЧАСНІ НАПРЯМКИ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ КОНКУРЕНТОСПРОМОЖНОСТІ АГРАРНОЇ ПРОДУКЦІЇ УКРАЇНИ

Abstract

The complexity and versatility of the concept of «competitiveness», as well as its consideration at all levels of socio-economic systems requires in-depth analysis of its nature to determine the characteristics of agricultural products, whose exclusive role is related to food security. The purpose of the study is to identify modern areas of ensuring the competitiveness of agricultural products in Ukraine. It is established that the competitiveness should be understood as the ability of a subject to operate successfully in the market, having an absolute or relative advantage over competitors. It is proved that the product competitiveness depends on such factors as: quality, cost, profit, market parameters. «Hard» and «soft» factors of product competitiveness are distinguished. In addition to the above, the following factors or criteria of product competitiveness are considered: social targeting, consumer novelty, informativeness, reliability, safety for consumers and the environment, product image. Features of ensuring the product competitiveness in the agricultural sector are considered. The critical dependence of agricultural specialization on the territory of location is determined, which causes the importance of resource potential, which requires the implementation of measures of responsible land use, which is an ecological component of the competitiveness of agricultural products. The peculiarity of providing labor resources to agricultural enterprises requires the inclusion social aspects in the concept of product competitiveness management. Thus, the priority of sustainable development of agricultural enterprises to ensure the competitiveness of agricultural products is determined. The dependence of the competitiveness of agricultural products on the price factor is considered, which is characterized by significant volatility and the influence of global trends. Ways to manage this factor are proposed: to consider the development of commodity exchanges, the use of financial instruments, risk insurance. Horizontal integration for small farms and vertical integration for agricultural enterprises are recognized as additional ways to ensure the competitiveness of agricultural products. Key words: competitiveness, product competitiveness, agricultural enterprises, agricultural products, quality, cost, price.