Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 24 ISSUE 3
Written by Gjokë ULDEDAJ, Gjovalin GJELOSHI

The climate that prevails in Albania and the type of agricultural land are favourable for new cultures and agricultural products that have higher benefits than other products that have been cultivated so far. Developing and increasing the capacities of existing products is one of the main components in a small or medium-sized company. A progressive company should preemptively address the planning and expansion of its product range and diversity of culture where it operates in order to remain competitive in the market. To achieve this, companies nowadays need to implement the most effective marketing strategies. Marketing is increasingly emerging as the most significant aspect for companies in the agri-food sector, serving as the primary means of customer orientation, with arguments as to why they should choose a company's products or services over other competitors. With the advancement of technology, the utilization of marketing and its elements is increasing more and more, as the best way to achieve the desired profit, target performance and competitiveness in the market. The purpose of this paper is the analysis of the existing situation in the development of the competitiveness of agri-food products as a result of the application of marketing, through which the market will be studied and make the agricultural producer aware of the increase of their performance in the market, through the production of quality and cost-effective products. Regarding the methods used, this research is supported by the data collected through the questionnaires distributed to the interviewed business managers, while the secondary data is the result of the information provided through the literature. This method has facilitated the comparison of the different variables used to test the hypotheses. The results reveal that agri-food production companies and farms have started to apply marketing in various forms, both in social and traditional media, creating better competitive positions in the market and increased production capacities allowing for the substitution of imported products with local products. Consequently, it has influenced the increase in consumer confidence in Albanian products and brands.

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