The Assessment of the current situation of the fruit and vegetable sector in Western Balkan countries: North Macedonia and Serbia
Brief analysis – The status of the fruit and vegetable sector in North Macedonia and Serbia provides an assessment of the current state of the fruit and vegetable sector in the countries of the Western Balkans (North Macedonia and Serbia).
Brief analysis is one results of the project “Professional courses for companies in the fruit and vegetable sector – Strengthening the capacity of local SMEs to improve their access to regional and external markets”, made possible with the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the regional Economic Development, Governance and Enterprise Growth (EDGE) Project.
The agricultural and food sector is one of the most important sectors of the economy of North Macedonia and Serbia. Agricultural production and food processing have a long tradition in both countries.
Despite the high share of North Macedonian and Serbian exports, the added value of agricultural and food products is still low. Producing and selling under own brands is lower than selling under private labels. To increase product export with higher added value and to reach more developed markets, producers needs to invest in knowledge and appropriate technology.
Despite the high share of North Macedonian and Serbian exports, the added value of agricultural and food products is still low. Producing and selling under own brands is lower than selling under private labels. To increase product export with higher added value and to reach more developed markets, producers needs to invest in knowledge and appropriate technology.
The analysis shows that deeper and more substantive knowledge about foreign markets is lacking, which limits more successful approaches. Companies also often lag behind in adopting new, more efficient management practices. Adoption of new and innovative tools and practices, especially those related to digitization or automation, falls far short of their potential, primarily due to the size of small farms and businesses (larger companies tend to adopt such new technologies earlier), education (understanding the benefits for production, management, and marketing processes), and the age of key players in the value chain (older farmers or business managers are less likely to learn about the benefits of new and innovative technologies).
The authors of this analysis are prof. dr Aleksandra Martinovska – Stojčeska and prof dr Vlade Zarić.
The Brief analysis, in english, can be free download in pdf format. Link