Anatomy of Competition in the Global Agricultural Market: A Cross-Country Comparative Analysis

Isparta University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Economics, 32000 Isparta, Türkiye

^* Corresponding author: mevlutgul@isparta.edu.tr

Abstract

With the concept of sustainability that emerged in the twentieth century, discussions on agricultural production methods continue. Agriculture maintains its position of strategic importance for all countries in general. The fact that it is directly related to people’s nutrition is the key factor that makes the sector important. The significance of agriculture has required countries to compete. The volume of global agricultural production exceeded 5 trillion US dollars on average for 2021-2022, increasing by about 19% over the last decade. This study analyses the competitiveness of the top ten leading countries and Türkiye and Uzbekistan in global agricultural trade. Vollrath’s Relative Export Advantage Index (RXA) was calculated using competitiveness analysis. The data of 24 food and agricultural product groups for 2013-2022 were used in the index calculations. The analysis showed that China and Germany had a comparative disadvantage in exports of agricultural products, while the US, the Netherlands, Brazil, France, Spain, Canada, Italy, Belgium, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan had a comparative advantage. Brazil, the Netherlands, and Spain had the highest competitive advantage. Increasing efficiency, productivity, and quality as well as reducing costs are considered important issues in enhancing the competitiveness of countries.