Price Transmission and Marketing Margins in the Slovenian Beef and Pork Markets During Transition

As in many other transition countries processing and marketing margins are also larger in the Slovenian meat market than respective margins in market economies. In addition, margin of the Slovenian pork chain is greater than in the beef chain. Its decline in the pork market indicates an adjustment to more competitive markets. Co-integration models are applied to estimate vertical price transmission and to examine margins and degree of competition in the meat marketing chains. Results indicate the existence of a long run equilibrium regarding vertical price transmission in the beef and pork sectors. Both the farm-gate beef and pork prices are identified as weakly exogenous in the long run. The structural tests imposing a homogeneity restriction suggest a mark-up long-run price strategy for beef and a competitive price strategy for pork after 1994 in the meat processing and marketing chains.price transmission, marketing margin, co-integration, competition, Marketing, D4, L1, C3, Q1,

Agriculture in Post-War Bosnia and Herzegovina: Social Buffer vs. Development

This paper draws attention to the specific post-civil-war situation in agriculture and the food sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). These developments are presented in an association with the overall situation in the country. Due to economic and non-economic reasons, B&H faces a general problem of a lack of international competitiveness. In a current situation, there are rare products to be internationally competitive and the country relies on imports of food and other products. During the post-civil-war emergency and reconstruction stage, the bulk of food and agricultural inputs, were donated or granted by different governments, humanitarian organizations, and donors to mitigate the effects of widespread poverty caused by the war destructions and economic declines. During a development stage, recovery in the agricultural sector is burdened by the considerable lack of international competitiveness in food processing and marketing as well as by several sectors, institutional, and general economic problems. The rate of unemployment in B&H is high, and agricultural households are the important units providing food security for rural populations and relatives living in towns. Nevertheless, around half of agricultural land resources are unutilised, and even more striking is the "illegally occupied" agricultural land, which is one of the most significant in the structure of land leasing arrangements.poverty, social buffer, land leasing, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Agribusiness, Q15, Q18, O13, O52,

Agricultural and Rural Capital Markets in the EU Candidate Countries: Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey

This paper analyses agricultural and rural capital factor markets in the three European Union candidate countries: Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia and Turkey. Aggregate capital market indicators and their dynamics, and factors driving agricultural and rural capital markets are analysed and compared in these countries. In general, agricultural and rural capital markets show similarities with general capital market developments, but agricultural and rural capital markets are facing specific credit constraints related to agricultural assets and rural fixed asset specificities, which constrain their mortgages and collateral use. Credit market imperfections have limited access to the investment credits necessary for the restructuring of small-scale individual farms. Government transfers are used to differing extents in the candidate countries, but generally tend to increase over time. Remittances and donor funds have also played an important role in agricultural and rural economy investments.

Agricultural and Rural Labour Markets in the EU Candidate Countries of Croatia, Former Yugoslav of Macedonia and Turkey

This paper provides an overview and comparison of labour markets in agricultural and rural areas in the three candidate countries for the EU membership: Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey. We analyse and compare the labour market structures and the factors driving them. The analyses are based on the available cross-section and time-series data on agricultural labour structures and living conditions in rural areas. Considerable differences are found among the candidate countries in the importance of the agricultural labour force, between rural and urban labour, and in poverty and living conditions in rural areas. Agricultural and rural labour market structures are the result of demographic and education processes, in addition to labour flows between agricultural and non-agricultural activities, from rural areas to urban ones and migration flows abroad. Declines in the agricultural labour force and rural population are foreseen for each of the candidate countries, but with significant variations between them. Showing different patterns over time, labour market developments in the sector and rural areas have been shaped by the overall labour market institutions, conditions and other factors in each country, such as the legal basis, educational attainment and migration flows, as well as the presence of non-agricultural activities in rural areas.

Imre Fertő: Agri-food trade between Hungary and the EU

Book review, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Land Markets in the Three Candidate Countries of the EU

Factor Markets Coordination: Centre for European PolicyLand markets, land structures, land productivity, candidate countries, European Union, Agricultural and Food Policy, Land Economics/Use, Political Economy,

Agricultural and Rural Capital Markets in the EU Candidate Countries: Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey

Factor Markets Coordination: Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Brussels, BelgiumCapital market, agriculture and rural areas, European Union, candidate countries, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Political Economy,

Food retailing and prices in Slovenia

This paper focuses on agro- food chains and agro- food consumer prices in Slovenia considering its European Union (EU) membership. As the Slovenian agro- food markets were distorted prior to the EU accession with some agro- food prices that were greater than comparable EU prices, the empirical results confirm that with the EU membership Slovenian real agro- food consumer prices have largely downward adjusted. Besides policy changes, internalization of retailing and distribution chains by entries of supermarket s and hypermarket s have had impacts on market structures and rationalization of marketing activities. Supermarket s and hypermarket s are taking over a substantial proportion of retail trade in agro- food products with implications on increasing food chains efficiency by squeezing structures in consumer prices, including for farmers, processors and marketing margins for main agro- food staples. After the greater price adjustment changes that occurred by the EU membership, some stabilizations in agro- food markets are occurring, but at different levels of real consumer and producer prices and marketing margins. This imply that agro- food markets in the new EU member states are becoming much more integrated into internationally competitive markets, where pricing and sales promotion issues and branding are taking important role in market segmentation of agro- food products.Marketing, Segmentation, Price Adjustments, Slovenia., Agribusiness,

Rural Labour Market Developments in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

The significant changes in the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of human resources in rural Macedonia can be explained by the continued trend of emigration from villages to urban areas and abroad. The intensity of emigration has altered the demographic structure and reproductive base of the rural population, along with the income of rural households. The rural and agricultural labour market faces a mismatch with respect to the unfavourable age, education and spatial distribution of the total labour force. A reduction in the participation of women in the agricultural labour force is a new feature. The overall transformation is apparent in the income structure of rural households. An increase in the share of households with mixed income sources notably stems from households that receive remittances and foreign currency funds from family members abroad. The demographic revitalisation of rural areas depends on economic revitalisation, with a more rational use of the labour force and human resources, as well as a restructuring of agricultural production and agricultural holdings. In addition, improvements are necessary in the functioning of market institutions to better meet the needs of smaller farmers and the rural economy.

Impact of Off-farm Income on Farm Efficiency in Slovenia

The paper investigates the impact of off-farm income on farm technical efficiency for the Slovenian Farm Accountancy Data Network farms in the years 2004-2008. Farm stochastic frontier time-varying decay inefficiency is positively associated with total utilised agricultural areas and total labour input, and vice versa with intermediate consumption and fixed assets. We find a positive association between farm technical efficiency and the off-farm income. Farm technical efficiency has increased steadily over time, the process, which was led by the off-farm spill over effect and most efficient farms. Farm technical efficiency is also positively associated with economic farm size, while association with subsidies is mixed depending on the estimation procedure. Quantile regression confirms the positive and significant associations between farm technical efficiency and off-farm income, and between farm technical efficiency and farm economic size, as well as also the positive association between farm technical efficiency and subsidies, but the results are sensitive by quantiles.Off-farm income, Stochastic frontier analysis, Panel regression, Quantile regression, Slovenia, Farm Management,