Economics and competitiveness in secondary agricultural production: the case of feta cheese in Greece
2009
Aggelopoulos, S., Alexander Technological Educational Inst. of Thessaloniki (Greece). Dept. of Farm Management | Theocharopoulos, A., Aristotle Univ. of Thessaloniki (Greece). Dept. of Agricultural Economics | Pavloudi, A., Alexander Technological Educational Inst. of Thessaloniki (Greece). Dept. of Farm Management | Karipidis, P., Alexander Technological Educational Inst. of Thessaloniki (Greece). Dept. of Farm Management
Cheeses made of goat and sheep’s milk belong to the category with the largest share in the overall production of cheese products in Greece. More specifically, feta cheese, which is a soft cheese made of goat and sheep’s milk, holds a significant position in the total industrial production of this sector. Following the European Commission’s ruling to establish Greek feta cheese as a product of protected designation of origin (P.D.O.), major opportunities have been created for exports and further development. The present paper is based on a survey conducted on a sample of cheese-making enterprises in Greece. The collection of the data was made using a specially prepared structured questionnaire. The objective of the study is to examine the competitiveness of cheese-making enterprises, and explore the possibility of their receiving funding, as a driving force for agricultural development and for the exploitation of the goat and sheep farming sectors. In order to study the competitiveness of cheese-making enterprises, an assessment of basic financial results was carried out. Finally, a grouping of the cheese-making enterprises was attempted, as regards the main economic parameters that are linked to their competitive profile. The results of the survey are expected to facilitate the implementation of rural policy measures that will improve the competitiveness and economics of the enterprises in question. This paper is based on the research carried out within the framework of the project entitled “Investigation of investments potential for modernisation and development of milk processing units: the case of cheese-making units in Central Macedonia, Greece” and funded by the Researches Committee of Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki.
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