Export competitiveness of the Serbian agri-food sector on the EU market

Abstract

The aim of the research is to examine the degree of competitiveness of the agri-food sector of the Republic of Serbia on the market of the European Union (EU) countries, as the most significant export market. Two partial indices were used in the analysis: the net trade index (NTI) and the Grubel-Lloyd index (GLI). In addition to these indicators, unit export and import price analysis was also used to obtain data on the type of competitiveness achieved by the divisions of the agri-food sector. The results show that the cereals division makes the highest contribution to reducing the existing trade deficit, while the high values of the GLI reflect a high degree of integration with this market. The agri-food sector shows dominant price competitiveness in terms of the share of such divisions in total exports to the EU. The results will include recommendations for improving the structure of exports by focusing on specific divisions.

Keywords

• competitiveness
• foreign trade
• agri-food sector
• net trade index
• grubel-lloyd index