Analyzing the Challenges in Agribusiness Based on Expert Assessments in Southern Russia

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of agribusiness problem field based on expert assessments of the economists’ professional community in the south of Russia. The theoretical substantiation of the research concept and interviews conducted with representatives of financial and economic services of agricultural enterprises of Stavropol Krai confirmed the relevance of the study and provided the development of a research model for collecting empirical data. 48 people took part in the expert survey – leading and chief specialists, heads of financial and economic services of agribusiness enterprises of Stavropol Krai. In the empirical part, we carried out an assessment of the problem field of agribusiness enterprises. The most significant internal problems of the studied region include personnel (77.4%); the continuing disparity in prices for agricultural products and resources for agriculture (76.8%); outdated agricultural machinery and equipment (61.9%); lack of investment opportunities in fixed assets due to insufficient own financial resources (60.1%); high creditworthiness of enterprises (59.0%). The most significant constraining infrastructural factors for the development of agribusiness enterprises constitute lending to agricultural enterprises. We identified growth points for the agribusiness sector and conditions that ensure the effective achievement of the goal set: improving the system of lending and insurance for agricultural enterprises, providing government support measures, digitalization and automation of business processes.