Assessing the Comparative Advantage of Albanian Olive Oil Production

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the comparative advantage of olive oil production in Albania using Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) method. The result indicates that olive oil production in Albania is profitable for the producers. Whereas the DRC ratio equals to 2.2, meaning that olive oil production in Albania does not have a comparative advantage for the given situation of production, prices and technology. This means that while it is profitable for private producers to manufacture olive oil for the domestic market, it does not have a comparative advantage with other EU countries. In order for Albania to develop an olive oil industry comparable to neighboring countries with similar climatic and soil conditions, the country will need to achieve higher productivity similar to those countries

Factors influencing Albanian consumer preferences for standardized olive oil

Albania is considered one of the most important countries where olives are cultivated due to its geographical position and climate conditions. The country is facing many problems with the quality of olive oil which is related to cultivation methods and agronomic techniques. The economic value of the sector is calculated almost €20 million per year. For years the cultivation of olives and associated products have been considered an important sector within agriculture and are an integral part of the Albanian diet. The current study aims to analyze the factors influencing consumer preferences for a standardized olive oil. The data collection was conducted through a socio-economic survey. The survey was an important element which provided general and specific information linked to the study area. The interviewees were selected randomly. Descriptive and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the survey data. As a result, we conclude that Albanian consumers prefer domestic olive oil because they are familiar with the taste and believe in its qualities. Usually, Albanian consumers choose the quality of olive oil at the purchase moment, due to their close relationship with the seller. JEL CODE: D1

FACTORS INFLUENCING ALBANIAN CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR STANDARDIZED OLIVE OIL

Albania is considered one of the most important countries where olives are cultivated due to its geographical position and climate conditions. The country is facing many problems with the quality of olive oil which is related to cultivation methods and agronomic techniques. The economic value of the sector is calculated almost €20 million per year. For years the cultivation of olives and associated products have been considered an important sector within agriculture and are an integral part of the Albanian diet. The current study aims to analyze the factors influencing consumer preferences for a standardized olive oil. The data collection was conducted through a socio-economic survey. The survey was an important element which provided general and specific information linked to the study area. The interviewees were selected randomly. Descriptive and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the survey data. As a result, we conclude that Albanian consumers prefer domestic olive oil because they are familiar with the taste and believe in its qualities. Usually, Albanian consumers choose the quality of olive oil at the purchase moment, due to their close relationship with the seller

ALBANIAN CONSUMER’S BEHAVIOR TOWARD ETHICAL VALUES OF AGRO-FOOD PRODUCTS: A SOCIO-ECONOMIC ANALYSES

The aim of this work was to analyze and find out the relation between socioeconomiccharacteristics of Albanian consumers and their behavior toward agrofoodproducts with ethical values. Organic, fair-trade and typical/traditional agrofoodproducts were ethical products object in this study. Information was collectedby face-to-face interviews with 311 adult Albanian consumers concentrated mainlyin the central, south-eastern, south-western and northern part of Albania. The Logitmodel is used to study correlation between consumers’ behavior and their socioeconomic characteristics such as: origin, age, gender, marital status, family size,children and elder presence, family monthly income, employment, level ofeducation and their knowledge about ethical agro-foods. Logistic regression is usedto predict a categorical (usually dichotomous) variable from a set of predictorvariables. Analyses demonstrated that only “Education”, “Age” and “Knowledgelevel about ethic food” have a significant contribution to their behavior (p ≤0,05).The correlation between Albanian consumers’ behavior and last three variables issignificant