Factors of ensuring the competitiveness of Ukraine’s pig breeding production in external markets

Aim. To substantiate the approaches to activating export transactions in the market of pig breeding products, determining the indicators of competitiveness of the main kinds of meat and relative competitiveness of pig breeding products in the leading countries based on the identifi cation of factors, restraining the export of Ukrainian pig breeding products, and elaborating the suggestions on eliminating their negative impact on the dynamics of foreign economic activity in the industry. Methods. The methodological approaches of the study were based on the information about the volumes of foreign trade, mainly used for international comparison and determined for each commodity or commodity group. The Relative Export Advantage Index (RXA), the Relative Import Penetration Index (RMP) and the Relative Trade Advantage Index (RTA) were determined while estimating competitive advantages of pig breeding products. The study involved a comprehensive comparative analysis of the main kinds of meat products in the external market using the model of “food independence – competitiveness”. The index of food independence was used along with the generalizing index of competitiveness for some kinds of meat products – the modi- fi ed Balassa index. It was determined that it was reasonable to determine the level of food independence based on food self- production within the range of 70–80 % from the commodity resources of the domestic food market. Our study involved the data of the informational database of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and FAO regarding the volume of export-import of pig breeding production. Results. It has been proven that there are no competitive advantages of Ukraine’s pig breeding produc- tion in external markets; there is insuffi cient food independence on the background of potential advantages for the expansion of export, in particular, that of cheap fodder and logistics. A considerable decrease in the exchange rate for hryvnia compared to foreign currencies of the leading countries creates prerequisites for successful promotion of Ukrainian pork both in domestic and foreign markets. The need of monitoring the implementation of food independence criteria and diversifi cation of export specialization of the country was substantiated. In the long-term perspective, it is reasonable to optimize the level of protection for the market of pig breeding products, to stimulate domestic production, to distribute the instruments of state support for the “green box”. It has been proven that the main directions of supporting the export of domestic agrarian products should become as follows: facilitating export procedures; expanding assortment and accessibility of fi nancial services; developing the support- ing infrastructure; informational support for exporters; conducting research and implementing support programs; the activity of the system of credit-insurance institute and trade representations should be carried out in a single complex via determining the potential market and fi nancial-insurance support for the export. Conclusions. The method of two-criteria analysis of the status of domestic market for meat products based on the indices of food safety and international competitiveness has been developed and tested which will promote complex estimation of positions of some kinds of commodities in external market. The model of two-criteria analysis allows substantiating effective instruments of state regulation and protecting the relevant market of prod- ucts. The method of two-criteria analysis of meat products is universal, i.e. it may be used to determine the positions of different commodity groups in the external market. The evaluation of competitiveness of the main kinds of meat products – pork, beef and poultry meat – demonstrated the absence of competitive advantages of pig breeding production in external markets and insuf- fi cient food independence. The factors, restraining the expansion of pork export, were systematized and divided into three main groups: technological; normative and regulatory; veterinary, and the ways of eliminating them were specifi ed. The measures of creating favorable export-institutional environment were elaborated and the main directions of supporting export of domestic pig breeding production were suggested.