Purpose. The aim of this article is to study the preconditions that contributed to changes in the institutional support of foreign economic activity of agricultural enterprises, to identify trends in foreign trade in agricultural products and to assess the effectiveness of such changes for direct producers of agricultural products.
Methodology of research. The abstract and logical method and the method of generalization were used in the research, which allowed to determine the prerequisites for the formation of competitive advantages of domestic agricultural products in the world market, to establish the factors of influence on the change in the institutional support of foreign economic activity of agricultural enterprises. As a result of using the economic and statistical method, a research was made of the trends in the geographical diversification of exports of agricultural products and their processed products under the influence of the institutional environment of foreign economic activity of agricultural enterprises.
Findings. The conditions for the development of foreign economic activity of agricultural enterprises are identified, changes in foreign trade in agricultural products and in the flow of foreign direct investment as a result of Ukraine’s economic integration into the world community, in particular the signing of WTO accession agreements and associations with EU countries, are highlighted. As a result of improving methodological approaches to determining the effectiveness of foreign economic activity in the agricultural sector as a result of changes in the institutional environment, proportional changes were established between the indicators of export and intra-economic activity of agricultural enterprises.
The positive impact of creating a free trade zone with the EU countries is substantiated, which will encourage domestic agricultural enterprises to adhere to EU standards for the safety and hygiene of agricultural products, especially dairy and meat products.
Originality. Methodological approaches to the determination of indicators of the effectiveness of foreign economic activity in the agricultural sector as a result of changes in the institutional environment have been improved, which, unlike the existing ones, comprehensively take into account the results of domestic and export activities of agricultural enterprises.
Practical value. The results of the study can be used in the marketing activities of agricultural enterprises in order to build export strategies and search for their own niche in the world market.
Key words: institutional support; institutions; foreign economic activity; agricultural enterprises; export; import; price; agricultural products; world market; foreign direct investment.