COMPETITIVENESS OF MUTUAL AGRARIAN FOREIGN TRADE OF THE POST-SOVIET COUNTRIES

Agrarian foreign trade represents an integral part of the majority of the world countries’ foreign trade. Agriculture in the countries with a lower economic performance can represent potential for economic growth when excess workforce is employed in sectors with higher added value and surpluses are realized through foreign trade or, on the contrary, can also be restrictive. This case concerns the countries with an inadequate agricultural foundation or the so-called net food importing countries. Agricultural foreign trade can thus serve as a source as well as an obstacle to economic growth. It is also necessary to mention that agriculture also produces public property in the form of tackling hunger or combating poverty. The post-Soviet republics represent a substantially heterogeneous group despite their common history. The group of selected post-Soviet countries (not those in EU) comprises Armenia (AR), Azerbaijan (AZ), Belarus (BE), Georgia (GE), Kazakhstan (KZ), Kyrgyzstan (KG), the Republic of Moldova (MO), the Russian Federation (RU), Tajikistan (TJ), Turkmenistan (TR), Ukraine (UA) and Uzbekistan (UZ).