ARPHA Proceedings 8: 1-12, doi: 10.3897/ap.e134062
Competitiveness of Bulgarian oilseed production in the world market
expand article infoBozidar Ivanov
‡ Institute of Agricultural Economics, Sofia, Bulgaria
Open Access
Abstract

The competitiveness is a significant and crucial concept in the economy and the economic science, seen and explored by numerous definitions and understandings of its scope and content. In general terms, competitiveness can be comprehended in a static aspect as an outcome on one hand or either as conditions and factors (dynamics) determining that outcome or competitive performance. In the current study, the competitiveness is defined as the capability of the agricultural industries and the production of oilseed crops in Bulgaria to sustain and expand their market share and to maintain and increase the added value of their production in terms of national and global scene. In this regard, competitiveness is perceived as the performance of the national industry within world consumption of oilseeds, indicated as a share out of world production, equalized for consumption and production value. 

The purpose of the analysis is to assess the competitiveness of the oilseeds industry in Bulgaria compared to the outcomes and development of the same industry globally. This evaluation should show, both in time and in a comparative aspect, what is the evolution of the production of oilseed crops in the country compared to the trends in a global context, with competitiveness understanding and envisage as a outcome in production and value prospect. The findings illustrate that the oilseeds industry has levels of competitiveness scored as very high per capita compared to the global indicators. Altogether, the production and the value components of the competitiveness index are at scale throughout the reviewed period (2007-2021), significantly exceeding and surpassing the world average levels, which implies that the competitiveness of this industry is very high revealing a significant market achievements and generated outcome value within national agriculture per capita. In this context, it can be added that the very high and strong competitiveness of the oilseed production in Bulgaria is quite much explicated to the good and successful functioning of the individual producers and farming. It turns out that producers tackled in this production manage to benefit from the significant support that is delivered under the Common Agricultural Policy, both as subsidies and as well investment support. Farmers are in advantage to get free access and partake in the common market and trade of such production, capitalizing on the favorable soil and climatic conditions to make this production in the national land, managing to achieve the reported competitiveness outcomes. 

Keywords
oilseed production, competitiveness, total index of competitiveness