Spatial Market Integration: A Case Study of the Polish–Czech Milk Market

Analyses of spatial market integration contributes to the knowledge about market efficiency and provides information to policymakers, as the spatial integration of markets contributes to competitiveness and economic development. Although the integration of agri-food markets is widely discussed in the economic literature, research on the dairy sector is relatively limited. This paper fulfils the research gap with an in-depth investigation of spatial milk and dairy product market integration between two neighboring countries—Poland and Czechia—using regional data, and including both production and processing levels. The econometric analysis of time series covering the period 2001–2021 reveals that only long-run milk and skimmed milk powder (SMP) price relationships are between the Czech Republic and Poland. The results of the study confirm that the factors influencing spatial price relationships between the Czech Republic and Poland are: strong trade ties, the common moment of accession to the EU, a close distance between markets, and region specialization.

Which Factors Drive Consumer Decisions during Milk Purchase? New Individuals’ Profiles Considering Fresh Pasteurized and UHT Treated Milk

The cow’s milk market is going through a critical period characterised by a continuous contraction in consumption as a consequence of the lack of competitiveness on the market of the conventional product (commodity) versus numerous specialties. This paper aimed to define the profiles of milk consumers in terms of individual preferences (assessed using the best-worst scaling methodology) and socio-demographic features. A survey was conducted in several stores of large-scale retail, convenience stores, and open-air markets distributed in north-west Italy to collect data from 1216 respondents. For milk shopper purchasing habits, two consumer groups were defined and compared in terms of preferences: the fresh pasteurized milk consumer (FPc) (56% of the total sample) and the ultra-high temperature treated milk consumer (UHTc) (35%). A series of two-ways multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were conducted to assess the effect of individuals’ socio-demographic characteristics and the type of milk chosen on the consumer preferences, simultaneously. Significant differences in milk purchasing habits and preferences emerged when comparing the two consumer groups (UHTc and FPc). Empirical evidence of the study supported the starting hypothesis, suggesting the significance or relevance of the consumer socio-demographic characteristic, as well as their interaction effect with the type of milk on the level of importance given to the considered milk quality attributes. On the contrary, the gender results were not significant for the milk preferences definition. The assessment of consumer preferences, associated with the individuals’ socio-demographic characteristics could have important implications for outlining more effective marketing strategies based on a more targeted communication (i.e., related to the sustainability dimension of the local product, nutritional value and brand), leading the consumer back to the commodity rediscovery concerning individuals’ features and habits.

Quality control of butter

The most common problem among ready-made foods is the adulteration of butter, which is replaced by margarine or vegetable spreads. Milk and other dairy products made from raw milk are not left out. The production and sale of low-quality, counterfeit products poses a direct threat to human health and affects the competitive environment among producers. As a result of research, it should be noted that the raw milk market is not fully saturated, so improving the quality of cream production and processing of milk products, namely butter, competition for suppliers, microbiological improvements, as well as improvements to plants and systems – remains relevant. During the analysis, some physicochemical parameters of butter were studied, namely: acidity of the fat phase, mass fraction of moisture and fat. The acidity index was within the norm, although it differed in all samples: the lowest was found in sample № 1 (1.1 °K), and the highest was in sample № 2 (1.6 °K). As for such an indicator as the content of table salt and the content of fat and pH of plasma, the oils Sweet cream “Selyanske”, 72,6 % TM “Svoya Liniya”, Sweet cream, 73.0 % LLC “Eney”, “Poltavske”, 62.5 % LLC “Techmolprom” do not meet the requirements of DSTU 4399:2005. The mass fraction of fat in butter brands PJSC “Dubnomoloko” and “Pryvat-Fud” – was lower than indicated on the package, by 1.4 % and 2.6 %, respectively, and brands “Svoya Liniya”, LLC “Eney” and Techmolprom LLC on the contrary – by 18.0 %, 18.4 % and 12.5 % more. According to the results of microbiological studies, it was found that the number of mesophilic aerobic and facultatively anaerobic microorganisms, yeasts, fungi and bacteria of the Escherichia coli group in the studied samples of butter of all brands does not exceed the permissible norms. This fact testifies to the relative “purity” of the raw material from which the butter was made, as well as to the observance of veterinary and sanitary and hygienic norms during the production and storage of butter. Summing up the research, it should be noted that, despite the identified physical and chemical shortcomings of all samples of butter, preference should be given to sour cream butter “Selyanske”, 73.0 % of PJSC “Dubnomoloko” and “Selyanske” sweet cream, 73.0 % “Privat- Fud”, as none of them exceeded such indicators as fat content and plasma pH of oil, which may indicate the absence of impurities in vegetable fats in this product.

Strategic Actions for a Sustainable Internationalization of Agri-Food Supply Chains: The Case of the Dairy Industries from Brazil and Germany

While facing a growing domestic demand of milk and milk products, the Brazilian dairy industry is far behind in terms of competitiveness and sustainability when compared to other national agricultural sectors. Nonetheless, in Germany the leading dairy companies mainly pushed by a saturated domestic market, EU agriculture policy oriented to liberalization of markets, and increasing political and social demands are looking at markets beyond EU. In the context of the increasing globalization of agricultural supply chains, the issue of sustainability gains particular importance in companies’ internationalization strategies. By using expert interviews, this paper investigates strategies for integrating Brazilian and German dairy supply chains and how both sides can benefit from this situation also in terms of sustainability. The analyses show that problems of the industries in both countries basically complement each other at different levels and positive synergies for both sides exist when it comes to sustainable issues, positioning themselves competitively for the future and creating a good position for conquering market shares in a globally growing milk market. This paper proposes an approach for the challenges of such integration, as well as viable solutions to sustainability issues.

The competitiveness evaluation of milk trademarks on the market of Chelyabinsk region

The milk market in the quarantine conditions associated with the pandemic and the spread of COVID-19 is going through a difficult period, superimposed on a number of pre-existing problems. In particular, the production of raw milk by agricultural producers is growing, while this contradicts the fact that the consumption of milk in the country is falling, and incomes of the population are decreasing. All these factors lead to increased competition in the drinking milk market and determine the relevance of the issues of studying its competitiveness, especially in a specific regional market. Today there is a lack of a comprehensive scientific understanding of methods for assessing the competitiveness of drinking milk presented on the local market. As the purpose of the study, the article stated the assessment of the competitiveness of drinking milk brands, the most common in the market of Chelyabinsk region. As a result of scientific research, a quantitative expert assessment of quality was determined and an assessment of competitiveness from a professional objective point of view was carried out by taking into account the quality per unit of money paid. The result of the study was the development of recommendations separately for different target audiences, who can benefit from the results of the study: consumers, retailers and manufacturers.

METHODOLOGY OF COST RECORDING AND ACCOUNTING IN DAIRY COOPERATIVES

The purpose of the research is to present the theoretical and practical aspects of determining the unit cost of producing dairy products in what is defined as a "typical" dairy cooperative. The Euclideanand urban distance method was used to determine a typical object with n = 88 dairy cooperatives – the following set of variables was defined, which are common to all cooperatives and reflect the sizeand specificity of cooperative units on the milk market in Poland. The selected cooperative provides a procedure for calculating the unit costs of dairy products on the basis of a detailed case study. Thefull cost account used in cooperatives does not provide cost information for management decisions.Indirect cost accounting using contractual factors does not provide reliable cost data. An important issue in determining the coefficients is the adoption of a measure which reflects the actualrelationship between cost and cost carrier, a product which, in the case of dairy products, may be difficult. It would be appropriate to attempt to introduce a variable cost account in dairy cooperativesin order to avoid the contractual assignment of indirect costs to products. The main problem highlighted by the authors is the lack of an adequate information system for the cost accounting indairy cooperatives. The implementation of such solutions would allow managers of a dairy cooperative to make appropriate (short-term) decisions in terms of developing an assortmentstructure based on data e.g. on profitability at the level of individual products.

Milk Market Performances and cofounding factors along Milk Value Chain in Pastoral Area: A Case of Borana Pastoralists, Borana Zone, Ethiopia

The study was conducted in Borana zone with the objectives understanding the milk market performance and challenges along the value chain. The primary data was collected from 123 households that drawn proportionally following multistage sampling based randomly selected households. Additionally, relevant information was collected from different sectors besides relevant literatures session. Similarly, Focused Group Discussions, key informant interview and visual observations were also undertaken to collect the primary data. In the course of data collection, different set of checklists were used for different group of actors to guide survey data collection, group discussions and key informant interview. The study found that input supply, natural calamity, marketing system, declining of livestock productivity, infrastructure and hygiene are among the major challenges along the dairy value chain. Above all, the dominance of value chain actors by pastoralists coupled with fragmented milk marketing system were the critical factors that stunted the milk market system in the study area. As a result, the performance of milk value chain is fragmented and distorted. Moreover, the supply of milk to the market become meager even though the milk selling practices has been flamed. Additionally, the dilution of pure drought resistant Borana cattle called “Qorti” is at its critical level of its extinction which challenge the milk production. Thus, it is important to enhance the milk marketing, encouraging milk supply and improving milk productivity.

Recent Advances in Camel Milk Processing

Camel milk is a newcomer to domestic markets and especially to the international milk market. This recent emergence has been accompanied by a diversification of processed products, based on the technologies developed for milk from other dairy species. However, technical innovations had to be adapted to a product with specific behavior and composition. The transformation of camel milk into pasteurized milk, fermented milk, cheese, powder, or other products was supported, under the pressure of commercial development, by technological innovations made possible by a basic and applied research set. Some of these innovations regarding one of the less studied milk sources are presented here, as well as their limitations. Technical investigations for an optimal pasteurization, development of controlled fermentation at industrial scale, control of cheese technology suitable for standardized production, and improvements in processes for the supply of a high-quality milk powder are among the challenges of research regarding camel milk.