Livestock Products World Market and Directions for Strengthening of Ukraine’s Positions on it

Introduction. The share of livestock products in the Ukraine’s export flows is insignificant due to the relatively low competitiveness and weakness of Ukrainian producers in world markets. Therefore, the livestock development and the exports growth of livestock products are an important strategic task of the Ukraine’s economic policy. Purpose. To assess Ukraine’s positions on the livestock products world markets and substantiate the directions for their strengthening. Results. According to the analysis results of the Ukraine’s livestock products exports dynamics, it was concluded that there is a trend towards its gradual unsustainable growth – in 2017 the export volumes exceeded by 1.5 times the same indicator in 2005. However, in the overall structure of Ukrainian exports, livestock products accounts for only 2.6%, which is more 8 times less than the share of crops production. It was estimated that the Ukraine’s share in the livestock products world market is low and in its main segments it does not exceed 0.1-1.0%. The reasons of this situation are: low production concentration, using of outdated animal husbandry technologies, that holds up productivity growth and leads to a relatively high production cost, unsatisfactory level of Ukrainian products logistics to the world market, high epizootic risks, etc. The main directions of Ukraine’s positions strengthening on the livestock products world market were determined, namely, development and stimulating a private entrepreneurial initiative of livestock products producers; providing state support of the livestock products competitiveness in the domestic and foreign markets; improvement of Ukrainian livestock products logistics infrastructure; ensuring the high quality of the produced agricultural livestock products taking into account world standards; expansion of free trade zones, conclusion of international treaties between Ukraine and other states in order to facilitate international trade etc. Conclusions. Identifying directions of Ukraine’s positions strengthening on the livestock products world markets will allow to develop key priorities for formulation of the competitiveness increasing effective policy of the Ukrainian agricultural products in world markets