RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE AGRI-FOOD TRADE: THE CASE OF SLOVENE-CROATIAN EXCHANGE

This paper examines the structure of agri-food trade with the emphasis on commerce of Slovenia and Croatia and provides some comparisons with the exchange with selected European trading partners. The focus is mainly on the period immediately before and after the EU enlargement and thus captures the so far existing effect of changing trading regime. The decline in price and quality competitiveness of Slovene agri-food products in Croatian market is observed, which is reflected also in the worsening of trade balance in year 2005 compared to 2003. As for the prevailing trade types, for Croatia the prevalence of intra-industry trade is observed, while the trade with European trading partners is determined by inter-industry trade

ZNAČILNOSTI TRGOVINE S KMETIJSKIMI IN ŽIVILSKIMI PROIZVODI: PRIMERJAVA SLOVENIJE Z OSTALIMI NOVIMI ČLANICAMI EVROPSKE UNIJE

The comparative analysis of trade with agricultural and food products of ten EU new member states (NMS), with emphasis on Slovenia, has been conducted at a highly disaggregated level. Slovenia has always been the net importer of agricultural and food products, and the same goes for the majority of ten NMS in the period analysed. For the purpose of assessing the similarities in their export structure, the export similarity index “S” has been used. By its use no significant overlap of export structures between NMS is revealed, but the slightly increase in resemblance is observed from 1999 to 2003, indicating the simultaneous restructuring of NMS’ agri-food sectors. Another indicator introduced in this comparative analysis is Revealed Comparative Advantage “RCA”, measuring competitiveness through major groups of products. Slovenia has the comparative advantage in comparison with the rest of new member states in following groups of products: meat, dairy products, beverages and others.V prispevku analiziramo trgovino s kmetijskimi in živilskimi proizvodi novih članic Evropske Unije. Analiza je narejena na dezagregirani ravni podatkov po posameznih proizvodih. Slovenija je, tako kot večina desetih novih članic EU, tradicionalna neto uvoznica hrane. Za prikaz skupnih značilnosti izvoza obravnavanih držav je uporabljen “izvozni indeks” S [8]. Z uporabo indeksa S je nakazana precej različna struktura izvoza kmetijskih in živilskih proizvodov, vendar pa le-ta s časom počasi, a vztrajno vse bolj sovpada in nakazuje na obstoječe podobne procese prestrukturiranja agro-živilskih sektorjev v novih EU članicah. S pomočjo analize izvoza so prav tako opredeljene komparativne prednosti Slovenije za nekatere skupine proizvodov (meso, mlečni proizvodi, pijače in ostalo)

Die Wandel der slowenischen Landwirtschaft im gesellschaftlichen Kontext. Vom Feudalismus bis heute

This article offers an account of farming practices in Slovenia from the misty pre-modern period to the present. From the feudal order onwards to the end of the 20th century, Slovene farmers have always produced in another state or under a foreign regime. Because of the rather long chronological sweep, where four different economic and political systems have been in force (Austrian-Hungarian Empire, Yugoslav Autocratic Kingdom, Yugoslav Socialistic System and Slovenia as an independent state), the focus of this analysis is on the real potential effects of these fundamentally different systems on the farming structure, performance of agriculture and peasant traditions in the country. The objective of this manuscript is to address previously unanswered questions about how these distinctively different ruling entities may have affected Slovene private farmers and agriculture in general. Albeit Slovenia has not become a successor state to the Austrian Empire, its exposure to agricultural reforms, laws, and practices in the Austrian Empire (from the late eighteenth century to 1918) left their mark on Slovene agricultural practices. This explains why farming practices somewhat differed from those in the rest of Yugoslavia during the entire twentieth century. It also helps us to understand better the genuine attitude of Slovene private farmers towards the ongoing reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and their relative willingness in adopting its prevailing trends.Poseban dio ovoga rada posvećen je različitim poljoprivrednim sustavima u Sloveniji od prijemodernoga vremena do danas. Od feudalizma pa sve do kraja 20. stoljeća slovenski poljoprivrednici uvijek su proizvodili u nekom stranom režimu ili državi. Zbog relativno dugoga perioda, u kojem su četiri društveno- ekonomska sustava bila na snazi (Habsburška Monarhija, Kraljevina Jugoslavija/SHS, FNRJ i SFR Jugoslavija te sadašnja nezavisna Slovenija), posebna važnost na ovom mjestu daje se analizi efekata tih posve različitih sustava na strukturu i narav slovenske poljoprivrede te samom položaju seljaka u njoj. Glavni je cilj ovoga rada odgovoriti na pitanje kako su ti sasvim različiti društveno-politički sustavi utjecali na domaću poljoprivredu, što se do sada u literaturi s toga područja još nije posebno istraživalo. Pri tome je prepoznat velik utjecaj Habsburške Monarhije na glavne trendove djelovanja i reforme u slovenskoj poljoprivredi tijekom 20. stoljeća, koji su malo drukčiji u odnosu na sve ostale države na području bivše Jugoslavije. Ovdje treba tražiti i razloge zašto je suvremeni slovenski privatni poljoprivrednik spreman slijediti reforme skupne agrarne politike EU-a (Common Agricultural Policy) te na njih po potrebi i pravodobno, odnosno primjereno, reagirati.Diese Arbeit widmet sich in einem besonderen Teil den unterschiedlichen landwirtschaftlichen Systemen, die Slowenien in seiner geschichtlichen Entwicklung von vormodernen Zeiten bis heute aufzuweisen hat. Seit der feudalistischen Gesellschaftsordnung bis zum Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts befanden sich die slowenischen Bauern stets unter fremder Herrschaft oder in einem fremden Staat, mit dem sie sich nicht identifizieren konnten. Die hier untersuchte chronologische Periode umfasst viele Jahrhunderte und vier verschiedene gesellschaftlichwirtschaftliche Systeme: die Habsburgermonarchie, das Königreich Jugoslawien (Königreich der Serben, Kroaten und Slowenen), das sozialistische Jugoslawien und das unabhängige, moderne Slowenien. Daher steht hier die Analyse der jeweiligen Auswirkungen im Vordergrund, mit denen sich die unterschiedlichen Gesellschaftsordnungen innerhalb von Struktur und Charakter der slowenischen Landwirtschaft sowie in der Stellung der Bauern selbst bemerkbar machten. Diese Untersuchung möchte in erster Linie die Frage beantworten, welchen Einfluss die unterschiedlichen Gesellschaftsordnungen auf die Landwirtschaft hatten, was in der Fachliteratur dieses Bereichs bislang nicht eingehender behandelt worden ist. Die Verfasser erkannten, dass der starke Einfluss der habsburgischen Monarchie auf die wichtigsten Trends und Reformen der slowenischen Landwirtschaft das ganze 20. Jahrhundert hindurch spürbar war und für gewisse Unterschiede zur Landwirtschaft in den übrigen ehemaligen jugoslawischen Teilrepubliken sorgte. Hierin sind auch die Gründe zu suchen, warum die slowenischen Landwirte reformbereit sind und sich der "Common Agricultural Policy" der EU anschließen wollen

Multifunktionalität als landwirtschaftliches Konzept: Nur ein gedanklicher Entwurf oder ein Real-Case-Szenario?

Multifunctionality as a feature of agriculture is subject to different interpretations, depending on the state and context. However, there is no comprehensive definition of this concept. Multifunctionality originates in the supposition that agriculture, apart from the production of food also has other broader social functions and aspects, such as maintaining production potentials, encouraging rural development (keeping the population in the country, cultivating the landscape), and protecting the environment. In the first chapter the authors present a view of the multifunctional nature of European agriculture, followed by a presentation of Slovene agriculture and its most important characteristics in different contexts – economic and social. If definitions of multifunctional agriculture published so far are taken into account, it may be stated that this process is well under way in Slovenia. A special part of this paper has been devoted to the empirical evaluation of this phenomenon, where the authors indicate an incomplete approach to testing and the difficulty in objective quantification of such a complex phenomenon. Above all, it is necessary to establish clear criteria for the follow-up of multifunctional agriculture and its influences on general social interests.Multifunkcionalnost kao značajka poljoprivrede podliježe različitim tumačenjima, ovisno o državi i kontekstu. Ipak, nema ni jedne sveobuhvatne definicije toga pojma. Multifunkcionalnost proizlazi iz pretpostavke da poljoprivreda – osim proizvodnje hrane – ima i druge šire društvene funkcije i aspekte, kao što su održavanje proizvodni595 h potencijala, poticanje ruralnoga razvoja (zadržavanje pučanstva na selu, kulturni izgled krajolika) te zaštita okoliša. U prvom poglavlju predstavljeno je gledište na multifunkcionalnu prirodu europske poljoprivrede, slijedi prikaz slovenske poljoprivrede i njezinih najvažnijih značajki u različitim kontekstima – ekonomskim i socijalnim. Ako se poslužimo objavljenim definicijama multifunkcionalne poljoprivrede, možemo utvrditi da je ona u Sloveniji u punom jeku. Poseban dio ovoga rada posvećen je problematici iskustvenog ocjenjivanja te pojave, gdje upozoravamo na nedorečenost pristupa ispitivanju i težinu objektivne kvantifikacije tako kompleksnoga fenomena. Prije svega treba postaviti jasne kriterije za praćenje multifunkcionalne poljoprivrede i njezinih utjecaja na opće društvene interese.0Für Multifunktionalität im Sinne einer Charakteristik der Landwirtschaft gibt es viele verschiedene Interpretationen, doch gibt es keine universale Definition der Multifunktionalität. Dieses Konzept geht von der Annahme aus, dass neben der Nahrungsmittelproduktion auch andere bedeutende Funktionen der Landwirtschaft berücksichtigt werden müssen, so z.B. die Erhaltung des Produktionspotentials, die Entwicklung ländlicher Gegenden (Verhinderung von Landflucht, Landschaftspflege) sowie Umweltschutz. Das erste Kapitel präsentiert den Begriff und die Definition der Multifunktionalität. Es folgt eine Beschreibung der wichtigsten Merkmale der slowenischen Landwirtschaft unter wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Gesichtspunkten. Aufgrund der bislang verwendeten Definitionen kann festgestellt werden, dass das Konzept der Multifunktionalität in der slowenischen Landwirtschaft voll zum Einsatz gekommen ist. Ein gesonderter Teil dieser Arbeit widmet sich der Problematik der empirischen Auswertung dieses Phänomens. Die Autoren verweisen darauf, dass der dabei praktizierte, nicht ausreichend definierte Ansatz einer objektiven Quantifizierung eines so komplexen Phänomens nicht gerecht wird. Es gilt vor allem, klare Kriterien aufzustellen, anhand deren die Multifunktionalität in der Landwirtschaft und ihre Auswirkungen auf andere Gesellschaftsbereiche mitverfolgt werden können

Mjerenje veličine učinka pri proizvodnji funkcionalnog mlijeka

The paper presents the application possibility of “Effect size” and Cohen’s-d index in the case of introduction of new milk products on the market. The field and online survey were used to establish the potential interest of final consumers for new functional food product of dairy company in Slovenia - milk with phytosterols additives. Two techniques possibilities of Cohen-d index were calculated; manual and using the Cohen’s-d calculator. Further, the application is focused on two main questions in survey regarding observed problem: 1) Would you buy milk with phytosterols additives, which scientifically proven lowers concentration of cholesterol in blood? 2) Would you pay for it at a higher price? The sample includes 419 surveys, 150 surveys were conducted on field (control group) and 269 surveys were provided online (experimental group). The Cohen’s-d index (d) results show by using manual and Cohen’s-d calculator for both groups “small” effect (d=0.35, i.e. d=0.34 ), and “zero or near zero” effect (d=0.15, i.e.= 0.15) when deciding to buy new milk product.U ovom radu prikazan je primjer mogućosti primjene “Utjecaja veličine” i Cohen-d indeksa u slučaju plasiranja novog mliječnog proizvoda na tržište. Terenska i online anketa korištene su za ocjenjivanje potencijalnog interesa potrošača za kupnju novog, funkcionalnog mliječnog proizvoda u Sloveniji - mlijeko s aditivom fitosterolom. Korišten je izračun za dvije vrste Cohen-d indeksa, ručno i pomoću Cohen’s-d kalkulatora na primjeru dvaju glavnih pitanja: 1) Zainteresirani ste za kupnju mlijeka s aditivom fitosterola, koji znanstveno dokazuje sniženje koncentracije kolesterola u krvi i 2) Spremni ste platiti za taj proizvod veću cijenu? Uzorak obuhvaća 419 anketa, od toga provedeno je 150 anketa na terenu (kontrolna skupina), dok je 269 anketa provedeno online (eksperimentalna skupina). Cohen-d indeks (d) rezultati prikazani su za dva prije spomenuta načina izračuna, “mali” učinak (d=0,35, odnosno d=0,34) i “nula ili blizu nule” učinak (d=0,15, odnosno = 0,15)

Are consumers in Slovenia concerned about the mountain quality food?

Recently, several studies on mountain quality food products (further referred to as MQFP) emerged EU wide, especially after the EU charter of MQFP was established. In Slovenia, the first studies on MQFP where implemented in the frame of the EU FP6 Euro Marc project, started in 2007. After the project scope, the importance of MQFP is much more extensive then only according to purchase and consumer perceptions, thus the developing of mountain food products is also the developing of mountain areas and therefore part of broader rural development issues. In the paper, the first consumer analyses are presented, with the aim to find out whether consumers are sensitive to such products at all and to find out whether there exist some positive synergies between consumers and area of origin. The consumer analyses were carried out on the basis of questionnaires, and the data is presented with the descriptive statistics. The results show that consumers have in general a very positive perception of MQFP, althought they do not know what exactly the characteristics of MQFP should be. As regards the synergies between the area of origin and the purchasing of MQFP, the results differ according to the area the respodents come from (e.g. mountain, non-mountain areas)