Identification of the potentially propulsive fruit growers in Slovenia

Abstract

The paper represents the results of an empirical research aimed to detect how the Slovene fruit growers differ with regard to an appraisal of the relevant key factors of a decision making (business aims, perceptions of market situation and forces, and factors of competitiveness). The research was carried out by a personal inquiry of all fruit growers, corporations and farms, registered in the Slovene orchards’ register. Factor analysis was applied to identify the key variables of the studied indicators that were used for clustering of the surveyed fruit growers into typical groups, thereafter. The results show that in terms of aims there are two groups of the fruit growers: end-oriented and end-disoriented ones. Their perceptions of a market situation and forces are defined by three factors, competitiveness in term of marketing, producers’ organization and market power of buyers, which divide them into three typical groups: supporters of a producers’ organization, oriented to a buyer and off-market oriented ones. Understanding of the factors of competitiveness is described by two factors: management and resources that cluster the surveyed fruit growers into three groups: traditionalists, cautious ones and entrepreneurs. Among the supporters of a producers' organization the end-disoriented, as well as traditionalist and cautious fruit growers prevail. The most propulsive group consists of the end-oriented entrepreneurs, who are oriented to a buyer and in favor to producers’ organization. This group of the fruit growers represents 38 % of all surveyed fruit growers.