Miroslav Svatoš

Foreign trade in agricultural products in the Czech Republic

Th e article analyses trends in the territorial and commodity structure of the Czech foreign agrarian trade and aims to identify changes which have occurred during the last decade. Th e main emphasis has been put on the period after the accession to the EU. Primarily such changes are identifi ed, that occurred in the relation to the EU-Member States and to third countries. Th e results show that the value of agricultural exports and imports was growing during the surveyed period while the growth rate of agricultural exports was above the growth rate of agricultural imports. Agricultural exports increased from CZK 78 billion in 2005 to more than CZK 160 billion in 2013 and the imports rose from CZK 103 billion to more than CZK 184 billion in the same period. Th e territorial structure of the foreign agrarian trace is continuously concentrating on the EU-Single Market, both in terms of exports and imports. Exports of milk, milk products, cereals, beverages, food preparations, tobacco and tobacco manufactures, cereal preparations, food residues and waste, oilseeds, vegetable fats and oils, sugar and confectionery belong to the most important commodity aggregations. Th e share of proce- ssed products in the total exports increased and reached currently about 7%. Th e export - import coverage ratio reached a satisfactory trend as well. Although the Czech Republic does not have ideal conditions for the export-oriented agriculture, the country is able to gain comparative advantages, at least at the level of following aggregations: HS10, HS01, HS12, HS24, HS04, HS17, HS15, HS11, HS16, HS22, HS03 a HS13.

Competitiveness analysis of Czech agrarian foreign trade in the context of world agrarian market and agrarian trade of EU-27 countries.

This paper analyses the commodity structure of Czech (CR) agrarian trade in relation to the EU countries. An emphasis is put on comparative advantages of particular aggregations from the view-point of their application on the EU internal market. This analysis is based on an evaluation of comparative advantages by means of a modified Balassa index. It is studied in two stages, for the internal EU market and the world market. The analysis results are then shown in a graph. Subsequently, the authors implement an idea arising from a BCG matrix on the results of the graphic presentation. The aim is to identify those aggregations (SITC, rev. 3) which are or have a potential to be a pillar of agri-business (ie, the “cash cows” and “stars”), and vice versa to show the aggregation which are non-prospective in the long term or problematic (ie, the “dogs” and “problem children”). As start are identified as those aggregations which are characterised by the highest growth rate of comparative advantage value. From the analysis results, changes are apparent if we compare the CR trade commodity structure in relation to the EU countries. Findings also concern the development of comparative advantages and following CR specialisation on trade with certain aggregations.