Original scientific paper

FARM MANAGEMENT AS A FACTOR OF AGRICULTURAL COMPETITIVENESS

Lari Hadelan ; Agronomski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zavod za upravu poljoprivrednog gospodarstva, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Ramona Franić ; Agronomski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zavod za ekonomiku poljoprivrede i agrarnu sociologiju, Zagreb, Hrvatska

Abstract

The competitiveness of agriculture, an important Croatian economic segment which participates in GDP with about 10%, is the major precondition for economic sustainability of the family farms. The analysis of competitiveness conducted in 2001 has shown that Croatian agriculture could be competitive only in production of chicken meat, eggs, maize, oilseed rape and apples. The analysis of import by export coverage has shown generally insufficient coverage of import by export, with an exception only in trade balance for sugar, fish, mollusc and cereals. One of the factors of agricultural competitiveness on it macro-economic level is the competitiveness of related micro-economic production units i.e. family farms. The research was made in order to evaluate the importance of farm management in relation to other business factors. The interviewed farms were ones that, due to their production intensity and size, exceeded the Croatian average. In this pilot research, efficient farm management was recognized as the most important factor of business success. Farmers have estimated the internal factors (farm organization, quality management and professional training) as more important than external ones (intervention by the Ministry and/or Government, credit conditions...). According to their opinion, there are family farms in Croatia able to satisfy the European quality and price standards and, therefore, be competitive on the European market.

Keywords

agriculture; family farm; competitiveness; farm management

Hrčak ID:

175999

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/175999

Publication date:

4.9.2006.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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