State and prospects of competition, communications and logistics of agro-food products

Abstract

Communication and logistics are one of the most important features of the markets; they permeate and constitute its content. Communication and logistics for commodity producers are also as important attribute as production itself, and sometimes even more. For this reason, commodity producers themselves directly and explicitly, but more often through other institutions (including the government), tend to set up stable exclusive communication systems and logistics. This article analyzes the state of the prospects for the formation of communications and logistics networks for agricultural products. The correlation of existing communications and logistics of agricultural products and other types of products (including finished industrial products of various purposes: from machinery, equipment, chemical products to defense, hydrocarbon, carbon and other raw materials, timber and other goods) is analyzed. The established linkages are revealed. They were quantified, calibrated and classified. The existing principles (comparative and absolute advantages) are reviewed and new principles are formulated (marginal player, marginal linkages), which describe the real situation in the markets of agricultural products more correctly. New criteria for grouping and reformatting existing communication and logistics networks, which make it possible to increase the competitiveness of domestic agricultural products are proposed.