Organic production: Development chance for MSP in agriculture

Abstract

Agricultural production is very diverse and gives the great opportunities for various activities of small and medium enterprises. There is a great competition for placement of agricultural and food products, on both, domestic and international food markets. In a situation where there is a hyper production of agricultural products in the European market, the export of agricultural and food products is possible only if it offers organic products, for which there is a great demand. Organic production in Serbia is more popular and economically more important. Thanks to potentials that are reflected primarily in the fragmented property and land that is not contaminated with harmful substances, this type of agriculture can contribute significantly to development of rural areas and agriculture in general. Therefore, organic farming is set as one of the priorities for development of agriculture, and an integral part of the strategy for rural and agricultural development in the Republic of Serbia. Development level of organic production in Serbia is low, and the reasons are: a low level of environmental awareness, lack of state support to the agricultural sector, decline in living standards of the population, and therefore the reduced purchasing power. Organic products are becoming increasingly important goods in world terms, and there is a growing participation of these products in global trade flows. It is evident that the presence of organic food in the growing number of consumers around the world is not just a fashion fad, but the constant striving to consume better quality products, and thus contribute to the preservation of the environment and our health. These products represent a great opportunity for the promotion of small and medium enterprises in domestic and especially in foreign markets.

Poljoprivredna proizvodnja je veoma raznovrsna i daje velike mogućnosti za različite delatnosti kojima bi mala i srednja preduzeća (MSP) mogla da se bave. Na tržištu hrane, kako domaćem tako i međunarodnom, prisutna je velika konkurencija u plasmanu poljoprivrednih i prehrambenih proizvoda. U situaciji kada je na evropskom tržištu došlo do hiperprodukcije agroindustrijskih proizvoda izvoz poljoprivredno-prehrambenih proizvoda je moguć ako se takvom tržištu ponude proizvodi organskog porekla za kojima postoji velika tražnja. Organska proizvodnja u Srbiji je sve popularnija i ekonomski značajnija, a zahvaljujući potencijalima koji se pre svega ogledaju u usitnjenom posedu i zemljištu koje nije kontaminirano štetnim materijama, ovaj vid poljoprivredne proizvodnje može značajno doprineti razvoju ruralnih područja, te i agrara uopšte. Zbog toga je organska poljoprivredna proizvodnja postavljena kao jedan od prioriteta razvoja poljoprivrede i čini integralni deo strategije ruralnog i poljoprivrednog razvoja Republike Srbije. Nivo razvijenosti organske proizvodnje u Srbiji je nizak, a razloge za takvo stanje treba tražiti pre svega u veoma niskom nivou ekološke svesti potrošača, kao i zbog nedovoljne podrške države ovom sektoru poljoprivrede, ali i u padu životnog standarda stanovništva, te smanjenju kupovne moći. Organski proizvodi postaju sve značajnija roba u svetskim razmerama i sve je veće učešće ovih proizvoda u svetskim trgovinskim tokovima. Očigledno je da prisustvo organske hrane na trpezi sve većeg broja potrošača širom sveta nije modni hir, nego stalna težnja da se hranimo kvalitetnijim proizvodima i tako doprinesemo očuvanju našeg zdravlju i životne sredine. Takvi proizvodi predstavljaju veliku mogućnost za afirmaciju malih i srednjih preduzeća na domaćem, a posebno na stranom tržištu.