COMPETITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF DAIRY INDUSTRY ENTERPRISES IN THE DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

The dairy industry of Ukraine plays a strategic role in ensuring food security and public health. The made research is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the dairy industry market, identifying key vectors of its competitive development. The research found that the activities of dairy processing enterprises are constrained by the shortage of raw materials, price instability, fierce competition and the destructive consequences of the war for infrastructure and logistics. It was determined that the foundation of stable growth is technological innovation, the development of the segment of products with deep processing and orientation to foreign markets. There is a noticeable tendency to increase the number of enterprises implementing international quality standards. It was found that the development of industrial dairy cattle breeding in Ukraine is constrained by a destructive price mechanism: the reluctance of processors to set fair purchase prices is in contradiction with the constant growth of the cost of raw material production. This determines the high share of consumption for the own needs of households. It was determined that the current state of the domestic dairy market is the result of the synergy of internal production processes, dynamic pricing and the powerful influence of exogenous factors – from macroeconomic fluctuations to socio-political challenges. Ten most powerful dairy producers were identified and their competitive development was assessed in terms of key indicators of operational activity, product diversification, customer orientation, digital activity and market recognition. It was found that despite military and economic challenges, the competitive development of dairy processing enterprises in the domestic business environment is powerful. It maintains a high level of competition: leading companies control about 50–60% of sales, but a significant niche is occupied by small producers, especially in the segment of traditional and farm products. In the international business environment, expansion into foreign markets remains a strategic priority for scaling domestic production. It has been determined that advanced Ukrainian companies export products to more than 40 countries around the world, including the countries of the Middle East, North Africa, the Balkans, China, the USA, North Korea, the USA, Mexico, and Japan.