ECONOMIC THEMES (2021) 59(4): 497-513

DOI 10.2478/ethemes-2021-0028

THE IMPORTANCE OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES IN THE

EXTERNAL TRADE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

Milan Marković
University of Niš, Innovation Center, Republic of Serbia
 [email protected]

Ivana Marjanović
University of Niš, Faculty of Economics, Republic of Serbia
 [email protected]

UDC Abstract: The main goal of the research is to consider and compare
339.5:634. the importance of fruits and vegetables in external trade in goods of
1/.8(497.11) the Republic of Serbia. According to the Standard International
Trade Classification (SITC), “Vegetables and Fruit” is a division that
is dominant in Serbian exports of agricultural and food products,
and it is necessary to investigate its competitiveness. The key tools
used in the analysis are the coverage of imports by exports, then the
Contribution to the Trade Balance (CTB) index, as well as the
Original analysis of unit values of exports and imports, in order to compare
scientific and evaluate the structure of external trade in fruits and vegetables.
paper The results show that fruit, according to all indicators, has a
significantly higher competitiveness compared to vegetables, as well
as a higher importance in external trade of goods. This knowledge
can serve the creators of agricultural policy to favour the production
and exports of fruit products because they can radically improve the
structure of total exports, especially when it comes to processed
products. Since this is a perennial plantation, the results cannot be
expected in a shorter period of time. The previous research has not
specifically considered the importance of this segment of agri-food
exports and its internal competitiveness (having in mind the applied
indicators), which is the main benefit of the study within this paper.
Received: Keywords: exports, external trade, coverage of imports by exports,
20.10.2020 contribution to the trade balance (CTB) index, unit values of exports
Accepted: and imports, fruits, vegetables, external trade balance of goods.
11.06.2021
JEL classification: Q17, Q18, F14
498 Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513

1. Introduction

The agri-food sector of the Republic of Serbia represents a part of the economy that
realizes positive and significant net exports. In addition, it is highly positioned in
total exports, employment and gross value added of the Republic of Serbia. The
importance of this segment of the economy is especially evident in times of crisis,
both economic and social. In times of crisis, it provides a stable supply to the
domestic market, which is of great importance because it enables the satisfaction of
basic, existential needs of the population. The level of development and
adaptability of this sector came to the fore especially during the new pandemic
caused by the COVID-19 virus, both due to human nutrition (social aspect) and to
compensation of negative effects on gross domestic product (having in mind the
decline of industrial production and problems in other sectors, such as e.g. tourism
and hotel industry). In addition, “the agricultural sector of Serbia has shown the
highest degree of resistance in production and exports in the past decades, and thus
contributed to balancing the constantly present negative foreign trade balance of
the country“ (Božić & Nikolić, 2016, p. 296).
In literature, the importance of a certain part of the economy in external trade
can be expressed in different ways. Some of the most important indicators are: the
value of exports, the external balance of trade, the share of the sector in total
exports, the share of the sector in world exports. On the other hand, there are some
relative indicators such as: relative foreign trade balance, coverage of imports by
exports, relative coverage of imports by exports, contribution to the trade balance
of goods. The analysis of the importance of fruits and vegetables in external trade
in goods of the Republic of Serbia will be primarily focused on the second group of
indicators.
The subject of the research is the analysis of the significance of the
“Vegetables and Fruits” division (according to the Standard International Trade
Classification - SITC) from the aspect of contribution to the overall external trade
balance of goods, as well as in relation to the total export of agri-food sector. A
special part will be dedicated to the analysis of unit values of exports and imports
in different markets (groups of countries), which can be useful information for
economic policy makers in the field of agriculture and food industry, in order to
properly direct exports to specific export markets. Fruits and vegetables occupy the
highest share within the agricultural and food complex of the Republic of Serbia.
Together with cereals, they represent the backbone of this sector (Božić & Nikolić,
2016; Marković, 2019).
The paper is structured from several segments. The introductory part is
followed by a section that comprises a review of the literature related to this topic.
The third section discusses the research methodology. In the central, fourth part,
the basic results of the study, as well as the discussion are presented. The last part
is reserved for concluding remarks and recommendations for future action.
Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513 499

2. Literature review

External trade is an important element in assessing the economic development of

any country. There are many studies that have analysed and confirmed the positive
role of external trade in economic growth and development (Berg & Schmidt,
1994; Onafowora et al., 1996). Also, an export-led growth strategy can ultimately
contribute to a higher standard of living (Mahmood & Nishat, 2004), as a
fundamental goal of overall socio-economic development.
The research on the structure of external trade and the importance of individual
segments is one of the important issues in economic theory and practice, given its
importance in the socio-economic development of the country (Ignjatijević et al.,
2013). Also, the examination and analysis of structural changes in external trade
are the starting point in studies dealing with ways to improve competitiveness
(Milovanović et al., 2020). Therefore, this question occupies the attention of many
economists. After all, the national competitiveness research is just based on that. It
is a consideration of competitiveness that relies on the concept of comparative
advantage. Apart from the national level, competitiveness can also be observed at
the level of individual export segments where the Revealed Comparative
Advantages (RCA) index is often used (Fidan, 2009; Kumar & Singh, 2015; Mizik
et al., 2020). The use of this index mainly refers to the export of the agri-food
sector and its parts (Cvetković & Petrović-Ranđelović, 2017). Also, the RCA index
is used mainly for international comparisons and external competitiveness testing.
Thus, Fidan (2009) in his study measures the export performance of citrus as a
segment of the agricultural sector using this index. It should be noted that the
perception of the export performance of agriculture and the food industry is a
burning issue, especially in the EU market (Carraresi & Banterle, 2015).
Additionally, agriculture and the food industry are the parts of the economy that are
most often viewed together, having in mind their mutual connection and
interdependence.
The coverage of imports by exports is the most commonly used tool in
competitiveness analysis. In economic theory, there is \an absolute and relative
coverage of imports by exports. Both indicators are tools in quantitatively
expressing the internal competitiveness of exports (Milanović et al., 2013).
Besides the coverage of imports by exports, there are other indicators of the
importance of a particular sector in external trade. Marković (2019) examines the
importance of cereals (as well as a significant segment of the agri-food sector) in
the external trade of the Republic of Serbia by applying indicators such as the
Contribution to the Trade Balance (CTB) index. This index finds its application in
other sectors as well, especially in industry (Laursen, 2015). Thus, in their works,
Milićević and others (2017) investigate the competitiveness of the wood processing
industry, while Jovović & Jovović (2018) examine the importance of food industry
in external trade and trade balance.
500 Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513

The unit values of exports and imports are also an unavoidable indicator in the
analysis of external trade of goods and competitiveness (Jefferson Institute, 2006;
Marković, 2019; Marković & Marjanović, 2019; Marković et al., 2019). These are
primary indicators of the export structure, and consequently, secondary indicators
of the production structure. Apart from analysing the movement of the trade
balance and international competitiveness, the unit values of exports and imports
can also be used to assess the impact of international trade on the domestic
economy, the impact of foreign prices on domestic inflation, to analyse exchange
rate policy and even to assess gross domestic product (Zieschang & Dridi, 2002;
Dridi & Zieschang, 2004). In order to improve the structure of external trade in
agricultural products in the Republic of Serbia, it is inevitable to increase the
product quality by improving production (Milojević et al., 2011), as well as
improving the quality of planting material and applying new production
technologies aimed at extending the production season (Vlahović et al., 2011).

3. Research methodology

The agri-food sector includes the following divisions classified according to the
methodology of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (2019), and
according to the SITC (Revision 4), marked with two-digit numbers: 00 - Live
animals other than animals of division 03; 01 - Meat and meat preparations; 02 -
Dairy products and birds’ eggs; 03 – Fish (not marine mammals), crustaceans,
molluscs and aquatic invertebrates; preparations thereof; 04 - Cereals and cereal
preparations; 05 - Vegetables and fruit; 06 – Sugar, sugar preparations and honey;
07 – Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, and manufactures thereof; 08 - Feeding stuff for
animals (not including unmilled cereals); 09 - Miscellaneous edible products and
preparations; 11 - Beverages; 12 - Tobacco and tobacco manufactures; 21 - Hides,
skins and fur skins, raw; 22 - Oil-seeds and oleaginous fruits; 29 - Crude animal
and vegetable materials, not elsewhere specified; 41 - Animal oils and fats; 42 -
Fixed vegetable fats and oils, crude, refined or fractionated; 43 - Animal or
vegetable fats and oils, processed; waxes of animal or vegetable origin. Therefore,
the agri-food sector of the Republic of Serbia consists of 18 divisions from 4
sectors.
The subject of further analysis will be the division 05 – “Vegetables and fruit”
which belongs to sector 0 – “Food and live animals”. In the analytical sense, this
division will be divided into subdivisions - fruits and vegetables, due to the essence
and usefulness of the analysis. It should be noted that according to the SITC, the
“Vegetables” division contains commodity groups 054 - Vegetables, fresh, chilled,
frozen or simply preserved; roots, tubers and 056 - Vegetables, roots and tubers,
prepared or preserved, while the subdivision “Fruit” consists of the following 3
commodity groups: 057 - Fruit and nuts (not including oil nuts), fresh or dried, 058
- Fruit, preserved, and fruit preparations (excluding fruit juices) and 059 - Fruit
Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513 501

juices (including grape must) and vegetable juices, unfermented and without added
spirit (Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, 2019). The entire analysis will
be performed at the division level, with a special consideration for fruits and
vegetables, as separate parts of division 05, so that both the analytical and
comparative method will be applied in the analysis.
The research covers an eight-year period, from 2012 to 2019, and is based on
the use of a series of partial indicators of the importance of fruits and vegetables in
external trade in goods. A number of indicators were used in the research, in order
to look at the subject of the research from different, although not so dissimilar
angles.
The first in a series of indicators to be used in the analysis is the coverage of
imports by exports. This simple indicator represents the ratio of the value of
exports to the value of imports of the relevant division (section). It can be
multiplied by 100 to obtain the rate of coverage of imports by exports, which is
calculated as follows (Grgić et al., 2011):

rijt = * 100 (1)

where:
rijt - coverage rate of imports by the exports,
Xjj - value of division exports (fruits or vegetables),
Mjj - value of division imports (fruits or vegetables).
Values over 100 indicate positive net exports, i.e. that imports are fully covered
by exports of a particular division, product or sector. On the contrary, values lower
than 100 show negative net exports, i.e. that the export of a particular product,
division or sector is not sufficient to cover its import. Furthermore, Milanović et al.
(2013) believe that this indicator identifies the carriers of export potential. It is also
a measure of a country's ability to compete on the world market (Similarities and
complementarities of the economic structure of the Republic of Serbia and the
Republic of Srpska as the basis for strengthening economic cooperation, 2014).

Unlike the previous one, the CTB index measures the importance of the
division in relation to total exports and imports of goods. It is also a measure of the
internal competitiveness of a division, sector or product, and is calculated as
follows (Melišek, 2012; Milićević et al., 2017; Jovović & Jovović, 2018;
Marković, 2019):
502 Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513

𝐶𝑇𝐵 ∗ ∗ 100 (2)

where:
CTB – index of contribution of the division (fruits or vegetables) to the
(external) trade balance of goods,
xij – value of exports of the division (fruits or vegetables) i of the country j,
mij – value of imports of the division (fruits or rvegetables) i of the country j.
Xj – value of goods exports of all divisions i of the country j,
Mj – value of goods imports of all divisions i of the country j.

A higher value of this index implies a greater importance of the division in the
external trade balance of goods.

The next indicator, the coefficient of relative coverage of imports by exports,

shows the relative competitiveness of sectors, divisions or products in total exports
and imports. In fact, “the coefficient is calculated as the quotient of the ratio of
exports of the selected area to imports of the same area in the observed year and the
ratio of total exports and total imports of the selected area in the observed year”
(Similarities and complementarities of the economic structure of the Republic of
Serbia and the Republic of Srpska as the basis for strengthening the economic
cooperation, 2014). For the purposes of this research, this coefficient has been
modified, so that the coefficient of relative coverage of imports by exports applied
to the agri-food products sector becomes the coefficient of intra-agrarian coverage
of imports by exports and is calculated as follows (Milanović et al., 2013):

Xij t
Mij t (3)
rrij t  n

 Xij
i 1
t

 Mij
i 1
t

where:
rrij - coefficient of relative (intra-agrarian) coverage of imports by exports,
Xij – exports of division i (fruits or vegetables) of the agri-food sector of the
country j,
Mij – imports of division i (fruits or vegetables) of the agri-food sector of the
country j,
n

 Xij
i 1
t
- total exports of all divisions i of the agri-food sector of the country j,
n

 Mij
i 1
t - total imports of all divisions i of the agri-food sector of the country j.
Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513 503

The presented coefficient measures the contribution to the reduction of the

external trade deficit or the increase of the external trade surplus of the agri-food
sector. The divisions with a higher value of this indicator contribute more to
reducing the overall external trade deficit of the entire sector.

Another inevitable indicator in the analysis of external trade, but also the
internal competitiveness of exports, are the unit values of exports and imports.
These indicators are obtained as a quotient of the value of exports/imports
according to the quantities of exports/imports:

𝑃𝑥𝑗 (4)

Pmj = (5)

where:
Pxj – unit values of fruit or vegetable exports,
Pmj – unit values of fruit or vegetable imports,
Xj – value of fruit or vegetable exports,
Mj – value of fruit or vegetable imports,
Qxj – quantity of fruit or vegetable exports,
Qmj - quantity of fruit or vegetable imports.

The comparison of the unit values of exports and imports of fruits and
vegetables was made according to the groups of export markets: EU, CEFTA
countries and Russia, and it is related to defining the necessary structural changes
and geographical redirection of exports.

4. Results and Discussion

The “Vegetables and Fruits” division has a significant participation in the export of
the agri-food sector of the Republic of Serbia. In addition to the cereals division,
with an average share of 23% in the analysed period, it is the most important
division of this sector (Marković, 2019). The first part of the analysis is dedicated
to the graphical presentation of the individual share of fruits and vegetables in the
total export of agri-food products. Graph 1 clearly shows that fruits have a greater
importance than vegetables in the formation of total exports of this sector, with an
average of 19% for the total research period.
504 Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513

Graph 1. Share of fruits and vegetables in the export of the agri-food sector
of the Republic of Serbia (in percentage)

25.00
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Participation of fruits in agri‐food exports

Participation of vegetables in agri‐food exports

Source: Authors' calculation according to the data of the Statistical Office

of the Republic of Serbia, 2020.

Table 1 shows the most represented products in the export of the Republic of
Serbia, which belong to the fruit and vegetable divisions. The main export product
of this sector are raspberries, which in 2015 were in sixth place in total exports,
with the value of realized exports of over 267 million USD. Among other fruit and
vegetable products, in the period from 2012, only apples were in the top 20 most
important export products (in 2015).

Table 1. Fruit and vegetable products that are ranked in the top 20 most important
export products of the Republic of Serbia from 2012 to 2019
Rank
Product
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Raspberries,
frozen, without 10 10 8 6 9 10 10 10
sugar
Apples, fresh - - - 19 - - - -
Source: Authors' presentation based on data from the Statistical Office
of the Republic of Serbia, 2020

The Chart 2 shows simultaneously the coverage of imports by exports of fruits

and the coverage of imports by exports of vegetables. It can be pointed out that the
coverage of imports by exports in the fruit division is significantly higher. This
coverage averaged 273% for the survey period. This means that fruit exports were
2.73 times higher than fruit imports. The coverage of imports by exports of
vegetables was, on average, twice lower than the coverage of imports by exports of
fruits and amounted to 127%. Throughout the period, both divisions achieved
Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513 505

positive net exports. However, since 2017, both divisions have recorded a decline in
this indicator.

Graph 2. Coverage of imports by exports of fruits and vegetables in the Republic of

Serbia (in percent)

400.00

300.00

200.00

100.00

0.00
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

coverage of imports by exports of fruits

coverage of imports by exports of vegetables

Source: Authors' calculation according to the data of the Statistical Office

of the Republic of Serbia, 2020.

Graph 3 illustrates the CTB index values of fruits and vegetables. The average
value of this index for the fruit division was 0.35% in relation to the CTB for the
vegetable division, which is significantly lower, 0.11%. This confirms as well, the
high importance of the fruit division in the external trade in goods of the Republic
of Serbia.
Graph 3. CTB index of fruits and vegetables in the Republic of Serbia for the period
from 2012 to 2019
0.6000
0.5000
0.4000
0.3000
0.2000
0.1000
0.0000
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

CTB ‐ fruits CTB ‐ vegetables

Source: Authors' calculation according to the data of the Statistical Office

of the Republic of Serbia, 2020
506 Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513

Another in a series of charts showing the importance of fruits and vegetables in

external trade is given below. Chart 4 illustrates the movement of the coefficients
of intra-agrarian coverage of imports by exports of fruits and vegetables, as a
modified index of relative coverage of imports by exports. The average value of the
coefficient of intra-agrarian coverage of imports by fruit exports is 1.52, as
opposed to 0.70, which is the coefficient of intra-agrarian coverage of imports by
exports related to the vegetable division. The dynamics of these coefficients can be
estimated on the basis of the following graph. What can be stated is that the
contribution of fruits is twice as high as the contribution of vegetables to the
increase in the agricultural surplus.

Graph 4. Evolution of the coefficient of intra-agrarian coverage of imports by exports

of fruits and vegetables in the Republic of Serbia

2.00

1.50

1.00

0.50

0.00
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Fruits Vegetables

Source: Authors' calculation according to the data of the Statistical Office

of the Republic of Serbia, 2020

Graph 5 shows the movement of unit values of fruit and vegetable exports. A
higher unit values of fruit exports in relation to the unit prices of vegetable exports
(1.29 in relation to 0.76) are a reflection of a better and higher quality structure of
fruit exports.
This means that the products of the fruit industry have a higher stage of
processing compared to vegetable products. Therefore, the export of fruits should
be favoured, while the creators of agrarian policy should find ways to restructure
the export of vegetables in favour of processed (food) products, and not only raw
materials for further processing. Additionally, the choice of adequate packaging of
vegetables can increase their average export price.
Table 2 shows the comparison of unit values of exports and imports of fruits
and vegetables. In this example, the situation is far better with the fruit division,
because the average unit values of exports are higher than the average unit values
Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513 507

of imports, which is not the case with vegetables (in all years of analysis). The rest
of the tendencies can be seen in the table below.

Graph 5. Unit values of fruit and vegetable exports (in thousands of USD per ton

2.00

1.50

1.00

0.50

0.00
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

unit values of fruit exports

unit values of vegetable exports

Source: Authors' calculation according to the data of the Statistical Office

of the Republic of Serbia, 2020

Table 2. Unit values of exports (Pxj) and imports (Pmj) of fruits and vegetables of the
Republic of Serbia from 2012 to 2019 (in thousands of USD per ton)
Fruits Vegetables
Year
Pxj Pmj Pxj:Pmj Pxj Pmj Pxj:Pmj
2012 1,39 0,80 1,73 0,86 0,85 1,02
2013 1,32 0,87 1,52 0,98 0,82 1,20
2014 1,43 0,88 1,63 0,86 0,80 1,08
2015 1,30 0,73 1,79 0,62 0,71 0,87
2016 1,18 0,65 1,82 0,50 0,74 0,68
2017 1,25 0,73 1,70 0,66 0,74 0,88
2018 1,33 0,80 1,68 0,76 0,76 1,00
2019 1,13 0,86 1,31 0,81 0,84 0,96
Source: Authors' calculation according to the data of the Statistical Office
of the Republic of Serbia, 2020

Graph 6 illustrates the unit values of fruit exports by observing the groups of
export markets given in the methodology. Namely, the goal was to determine
where the raw materials are mostly exported, and what is the position of the
products of the higher stages of finalization, on the other side. The highest unit
values of fruit exports are realized on the most important export market in Serbia
(EU), which is a favourable fact. However, what is worrying is the negative trend
508 Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513

that has occurred since 2014, reflected in a constant decrease in the unit value of
fruit exports on the EU market.

Graph 6. Unit values of fruit exports on the markets of the EU, CEFTA and the
Russian Federation (in thousands of USD per ton)
2.5

1.5

0.5

0
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

EU CEFTA RF

Source: Authors' calculation according to the data of the Statistical Office

of the Republic of Serbia, 2020

Graph 7. Unit values of vegetable exports on the markets of the EU, CEFTA
and the Russian Federation (in thousands of USD per ton)

1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

EU CEFTA RF

Source: Authors' calculation according to the data of the Statistical Office

of the Republic of Serbia, 2020

Graph 7 illustrates, on the other hand, the unit value of vegetable exports of the
Republic of Serbia to the markets of the EU, CEFTA countries, as well as the
market of the Russian Federation. It is noticeable that the unit values of vegetable
exports fluctuate far more, primarily due to the instability of their prices.
Moreover, in the vegetable division, the highest unit values of exports are achieved
Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513 509

by exports to the Russian Federation, so vegetable products should be redirected to

this market. This will certainly improve the overall structure of exports. In the EU
and CEFTA markets, the movement of unit values of exports is almost identical.
Since 2017, there has been a trend of constant increase in the unit values of
vegetable exports.

Conclusion

Agricultural and food products occupy a high share in the external trade of the
Republic of Serbia. Among them, fruit and vegetable products stand out. It is about
the division “Vegetables and fruits” according to the SITC. The aim of this paper
was to quantify the contribution and importance of this division in external trade in
goods of the Republic of Serbia, on the basis of the ex-post analysis, as well as to
compare the internal competitiveness of fruits and vegetables.
Although both fruits and vegetables record a positive contribution, since they
are divisions that realize positive net exports, fruits have a significantly higher
importance in both total and agri-food external trade, according to all the analysed
indicators. Also, fruits achieve significantly higher unit values of exports compared
to vegetables, and consequently, a production of fruits should be relatively more
supported (especially since in the last period there has been a decline in the unit
values of exports). The Republic of Serbia has extraordinary natural conditions for
fruit production, and it is also a very profitable branch of agriculture (Užar &
Vlahović, 2019). On the other hand, agricultural policy measures should include
vegetable production, but in a completely different way. The production and export
of final, processed products should be strengthened, in order to improve the terms
of trade and the structure of external trade of goods, with the purpose of continuing
the growth of unit values of vegetable exports that have been realized in recent
years. Fruit exports perform well on the EU market, while higher-processing
vegetable products are mainly sold on the Russian market.
With the improvement of the structure of external trade, the process of
transition from price to non-price (qualitative) factors of competitiveness, such as
design, packaging, method of delivery, method of payment and the like, goes
simultaneously. This requires the micro level to provide, among other things,
greater investment in research and development, processing capacity and storage
systems. In addition, investing in organic production can be extremely important,
because it is a production that results in healthier, better quality and more
marketable products (Marković, 2018). This goal is supported by the fact that in
Serbia there are almost ideal conditions for the development of fruit and vegetable
production from organic agriculture, which would improve the structure of primary
agriculture as well.
510 Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513

Suggestions for future research could go in the direction of considering the

competitiveness of fruits and vegetables at the level of commodity groups or
products (according to SITC), as lower levels of aggregation. Finally, as the study
considered the importance of fruits and vegetables in external trade od goods from
the aspect of internal competitiveness, future research should investigate indicators
of external competitiveness, such as the RCA index and the Grubel-Lloyd index.

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512 Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513

ZNAČAJ VOĆA I POVRĆA U SPOLJNOJ TRGOVINI

REPUBLIKE SRBIJE

Rezime: Osnovni cilj istraživanja jeste sagledavanje i komparacija značaja

voća i povrća u spoljnoj trgovini robom Republike Srbije. Prema Standardnoj
međunarodnoj trgovinskoj klasifikaciji (SMTK) „Povrće i voće“ predstavlja
odsek koji je dominantan u srpskom izvozu poljoprivredno-prehrambenih
proizvoda, te je neophodno istražiti njegovu konkurentnost. Ključni alati koji se
primenjuju u analizi jesu pokrivenost uvoza izvozom, zatim indeks doprinosa
trgovinskom bilansu (DTB), kao i analiza jediničnih vrednosti izvoza i uvoza u
cilju poređenja i ocene strukture spoljne trgovine voća i povrća. Rezultati
pokazuju da voće, po svim indikatorima, beleži značajno višu konkurentnost u
odnosu na povrće, kao i viši značaj u spoljnotrgovinskoj robnoj razmeni. To
saznanje može poslužiti kreatorima agrarne politike da favorizuju proizvodnju i
izvoz voćarskih proizvoda jer mogu radikalno poboljšati strukturu ukupnog
izvoza, pogotovo ako je reč o prerađenim proizvodima. Budući da se radi o
višegodišnjim zasadima, rezultate nije moguće očekivati u nekom kraćem
vremenskom periodu. Dosadašnja istraživanja nisu posebno razmatrala značaj
ovog segmenta poljoprivredno-prehrambenog izvoza i njegovu internu
konkurentnost (imajući u vidu primenjene indikatore), u čemu se sastoji i
osnovna korist studije u okviru ovog rada.
Ključne reči: izvoz, spoljna trgovina, pokrivenost uvoza izvozom, indeks
doprinosa trgovinskom bilansu (DTB), jedinične vrednosti izvoza i uvoza, voće,
povrće, spoljnotrgovinski bilans roba.

Acknowledgement
The paper is a part of the research financed by the Ministry of Education,
Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Agreement on
the implementation and financing of scientific research in 2020; registration
number 451-03-68/2020-14/200371 and 451-03-68/2020-14/200100).
Marković, Marjanović / Economic Themes, 59(4): 497-513 513

Authors biographies

Milan Marković, Ph.D. in Economics, is a research associate at the Innovation

Center of the University of Niš. During studies, he received recognition by the
Faculty of Economics, the University of Niš and the City of Niš. He was the
recipient of scholarship from the Young Talent Fund of the Republic of Serbia.
From 2014 to 2019 he was engaged in the project "Improving the
Competitiveness of the Public and Private Sector by Networking Competences in
the Process of European Integration of Serbia", funded by the Ministry of
Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia.
Milan Marković is a member of the editorial board of the Journal “Economics of
Sustainable Development”, a member of the Association of Economists and
Managers of the Balkans and the Scientific Society of Agrarian Economists of the
Balkans, and a reviewer of many scientific journals. His key areas of interest are
national economics, agricultural economics and international finance.

Ivana Marjanović is a PhD student at the Faculty of Economics, University of

Nis and she is engaged as a junior teaching assistant at the Faculty of
Economics, University of Nis for the scientific field of Mathematics and Statistics
in Economics. Her field of scientific interest is the application of quantitative
methods in economics, with the main focus on the application of operational
research and decision theory methods and models. She has noteworthy
experience in conducting quantitative and qualitative research, in the area of
urban studies, local development and public procurements, and also a
noteworthy experience in project management. In addition, she has a high level
of the theoretical knowledge about the statistics as well as practical knowledge
and skills related to the methodology of survey implementation, data collection,
data processing and data analyses.