QUALITY AND SAFETY OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AS A SOURCE OF COMPETITIVENESS OF FARM HOLDINGS
Slađana Vujičić, Miroslav Nedeljković, Biljana Dimitrić, Mersida Jandrić
Abstracts
In contemporary business conditions characterized by intense market competition, agricultural farms face the need to continuously improve their market position. The quality of agricultural products is increasingly recognized as a key factor and one of the primary sources of competitive advantage in the agri-food sector. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of agricultural product quality in strengthening the competitiveness of agricultural farms in the Republic of Serbia. The research is based on the assumption that a higher level of product quality enables better market access, greater consumer trust, more stable business performance, and long- term farm growth. The research results indicate a strong and statistically significant relationship between the quality of agricultural products and farm competitiveness, while also confirming the security role of product quality, as it directly contributes to food safety, the stability of contemporary agrarian systems, and the protection of public health. In this paper, the concept of safety refers exclusively to food safety, understood as the ability of agricultural products to meet health, hygiene, and regulatory requirements and to protect consumer health. The conclusions of the paper may serve as a basis for developing business strategies for agricultural producers, as well as for improving agricultural policies aimed at enhancing product quality and the market sustainability of agricultural farms.
Keywords
Product quality, Competitiveness, Agricultural farms, Market, Agriculture, Food safety
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