Reporting Progress

REPORTING PROGRESS

TYPE OF REPORTCompletition report

PERIOD COVEREDJuly 31 1998 – July 30 2001

TITLE OF PROJECTMarketing of agricultural products in function of increasing production

CONTRACT NUMBERKlasa 320-1/98-1/90,

Ur. br. 525-02- 98-35

PROJECT START DATEJuly 31 1998

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR Ante Kolega, PhD. Full Professor

INSTITUTIONFaculty of Agronomy University of Zagreb

Department of Agricultural Marketing

______

Ante Kolega, PhD. (date).

(Signature of Principal Investigator)

Executive Summary

The faster development of agricultural companies and family farms in Croatia could be planed only through their faster adoption to the new economic system in democratic Croatia. The main presumption for such adoption is change of natural to marketing concept of farms management.

The main intention of this project is to help in reconstructing traditional and naturally oriented agricultural production in a market oriented production, that is to increase competitiveness of domestic production through products which will better suit to demand according to quality, assortment, package, prices and distribution channels for all consumers’ segments.

The competitiveness of family farms was analyzed in 3 counties at the sample of 90 family farms. The big companies that have cooperative relationship with family farms were also analyzed. The third step in the research was the examining of consumers (representative sample of fruit and vegetables consumers in Croatia). The multivariate analyses (cluster and factor analyses) and appropriate statistical tests were used.

Family farms do not have products that meet consumers’ needs. The big limitation for such production is lack of market infrastructure in sense of associations, cooperatives, and companies, which would mediate between production and demand. The organization of existing companies is still mainly based on the concept of production and distribution and less on marketing concept.

The survey among consumers showed that there is relatively big market segment that prefers domestic and ecological products. The future positioning of domestic production should be in a segment of domestic and “healthy” food, for which domestic producers have competitive advantages.

The main results of this research are summarized in the book “Hrvatsko poljodjelsko tržište” (“Croatian agricultural market”), authors Ante Kolega and Miroslav Božić. Further, the results of the research are presented in 15 scientific and expert papers at the three domestic and three international congresses.

The dissemination of the results to the farmers is planed through marketing seminars in winter period.

Research Objectives and Rationale

Family farms in Croatia own small farms, their production is poorly rational, farms are poorly equipped and not able to produce such products that would meet consumers’ needs.

The main purpose of the researchis to help in reconstructing traditional and naturally oriented agricultural production towards market oriented production. To change the structure of the production towards demands of domestic and foreign consumers. The increase the sale of the such agricultural products that will better suit to the demand according to quality, assortment, package, prices and distribution channels for all consumers’ segments.

Methods and Results

During project period data about production at family farms in three counties were collected. A questionnaire was used as a measurement instrument. Few big companies that have cooperation with farmers were analyzed. The third step in the research process was examining of consumers’ attitudes and preferences. In the survey were included 568 consumers that buy fruit and vegetables at city markets in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and Osijek.

The analysis of the data obtained at the family farms showed that family farms do not have good market product with characteristics, which would satisfy consumers needs. If they even produce good product it’s distribution till last consumer is inefficient, inhomogeneous, non-transparent and inadequate valorized. There is also a lack of a market infrastructure as associations, cooperatives and companies that mediate between production and demand.

The research results showed that agricultural companies do not have an organization that works on the marketing concept. Their organization is mainly based on the concept of production and distribution.

The analysis of the data collected through consumer survey indicates that there are four segments of consumer that buy fruit and vegetables at city markets. The results showed that there is a relatively big share of the consumers that prefer domestic and ecological product. It is also found that one group of the consumer will change their purchasing place and start to buy in big supermarkets.

According to that results it is possible to conclude that domestic producers of fruit and vegetables will have to produce such products that will satisfy those consumers who prefer domestic and ecological products and to direct their marketing program toward those products.

Project Activities/Outputs

Published books, papers and abstracts

1.Kolega , Ante ; Božić , Miroslav. HRVATSKO POLJODJELSKO TRŽIŠTE/ Kovačić , Damir (ur.). Zagreb : Tržništvo, 2001..

2.Kolega , Ante. Gospodarske smjernice hrvatskog poljodjelstva u svjetlu svjetskih integracija. // Agronomski glasnik. 3/4 (1999) 159-172.

3.Kovačić , Damir ; Žimbrek , Tito ; Tratnik , Miroslav ; Grgić , Ivo. BILANČNI PRIKAZ STANJA I MOGUĆNOSTI PROIZVODNJE POLJODJELSKIH PROIZVODA U REPUBLICI HRVATSKOJ // XXXIV. znanstveni skup hrvatskih agronoma, zbornik sažetaka / Mustapić , Zvonko (ur.). Zagreb : Hrvatsko agronomsko društvo, 1998. 7-9 (pozvano predavanje, znanstveni rad).

4.Kolega , Ante. Gospodarske smjernice hrvatskog poljodjelstva u svjetlu svjetskih integracija // Gospodarske smjernice razvitka hrvatskog poljodjelstva, zbornik priopćenja i sažetaka / Kolega , Ante (ur.). Zagreb : Hrvatsko agronomsko društvo, 1999. 7-18 (pozvano predavanje, znanstveni rad).

5.Kolega , Ante. Strategija marketinga hrvatskog poljodjelstva // Zbornik plenarnih izlaganja i sažetaka / Srećko Brkić (ur.). Zagreb : Hrvatsko agroekonomsko društvo, 2000. 55-63 (pozvano predavanje, znanstveni rad).

6.Kovačić , Damir ; Ante , Kolega ; Radman , Marija. Direct selling applied to strawberry // Proceddings of the XIVth International Symposium on Horticultural Economics / Ogier , John P. (ur.). Leuven : ISHS, 2000. 513-520 (međunarodna recenzija, znanstveni rad).

7.Kovačić , Damir ; Kolega , Ante ; Radman , Marija. Potrošačke navike na zagrebačkom tržištu hrane // XXXIV. znanstveni skup hrvatskih agronoma, zbornik sažetaka / Mustapić , Zvonko (ur.). Zagreb : Agronomski fakultet Zagreb, 1998. 207-208 (sažetak, znanstveni rad).

8.Kovačić , Damir ; Juračak , Josip ; Žutinić , Đurđica. Possibilites of co-operative work on family farms // European Agriculture Facing the 21-st Century in a Global Context, poster session abstracts. : , 1999. 56 (sažetak, znanstveni rad).

9.Kovačić , Damir ; Kolega , Ante ; Matun , Matun. IZRAVNA PRODAJA JAGODA - na primjeru zagrebačke Seljačke tržnice - // Gospodarske smjernice razvitak hrvatskog poljodjelstva, Zbornik priopćenja i sažetaka / Kolega , Ante (ur.). Zagreb : Hrvatsko agronomsko društvo, 1999. 137-138 (sažetak, znanstveni rad).

10.Jurić , Ivan ; Đikić , Marija ; Kolega , Ante. USPOREDBA STANJA U STOČARSTVU IZMEĐU HRVATSKE I SUSJEDNIH ZEMALJA ČLANICA CEFTA-e // Gospodarske smjernice razvitka hrvatskog poljodjelstva, zbornik priopćenja i sažetaka / Kolega , Ante (ur.). Zagreb : Hrvatsko agronomsko društvo, 1999.. 139-140 (sažetak, nerazvrstan rad).

11.Kolega , Ante ; Radman , Marija. Primjeri povezivanja obiteljskih gospodarstava na tržištu poljodjelskih proizvoda // “Gospodarske smjernice razvitka hrvatskog poljodjelstva”, zbornik priopćenja i sažetaka / Kolega , Ante (ur.). Zagreb : Hrvatsko agronomsko društvo, 1999.. 136 (sažetak, stručni rad).

12.Kolega , Ante. Marketing proizvoda s hrvatskog krša // Unapređenje poljoprivrede i šumarstva na kršu, sažeci / Kačić , Sonja (ur.). Zagreb : Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, 2000. 59-60 (sažetak, stručni rad).

13.Kovačić , Damir ; Kolega , Ante ; Radman , Marija. PONAŠANJE POTROŠAČA VOĆA I POVRĆA NA GRADSKIM TRŽNICAMA U HRVATSKOJ // Zbornik plenarnih izlaganja i sažetaka / Srećko Brkić (ur.). Zagreb : Hrvatsko agroekonomsko društvo, 2000. 170-171 (sažetak, znanstveni rad).

14.Kovačić , Damir ; Kraljičković , Josip. UVOĐENJE MARKE VINA: "KRALJEVINA ZELINA" NA ZAGREBAČKO TRŽIŠTE // Zbornik plenarnih izlaganjai sažetaka / Brkić , Srećko (ur.). Zagreb : Hrvatsko agroekonomsko društvo, 2000. 176-177 (sažetak, znanstveni rad).

15.Tratnik , Miroslav ; Ante Kolega. Kolebljivost cijena voća na hrvatskom tržištu // Zbornik plenarnih izlaganja i sažetaka / Brkić , Srećko (ur.). Zagreb : Hrvatsko agroekonomsko društvo, 2000. 168-169 (sažetak, stručni rad).

Visited meetings::

1.XXXIV. znanstveni skup hrvatskih agronoma s međunarodnim sudjelovanjem, Opatija, veljača 1998. godine, zbornik sažetaka

2.Znanstveni skup s međunarodnim sudjelovanjem “Gospodarske smjernice razvitka hrvatskog poljodjelstva”, Cavtat, studeni 1999. godine

3.XXXV. znanstveni skup hrvatskih agronoma s međunarodnim sudjelovanjem, Opatija, veljača 2000. godine

4.XIVth International Symposium on Horticultural Economics, Guernsey, U.K., 12 – 15 Sept 2000

5.Znanstveni skup “Izazovi hrvatskoj poljoprivredi na pragu 21. stoljeća”, Poreč, 8-11. studeni 2000.

6.XIX th Congress of the European Society for Rural Sociology “Society, Nature, Technology -The Contribution of Rural Sociology”, rujan 2001., Dijon, France

Plans for dissemination

The main results of this research are summarised in the book “Hrvatsko poljodjelsko tržište” (“Croatia agricultural market”), authors Ante Kolega and Miroslav Božić. Further, the results of the research are presented at scientific and expert meetings.

The dissemination of the results to the farmers is planed through marketing seminars in winter period.