Trade and comparative advantage analysis of the eu honey sector with a focus on the italian market

On the international scene, the study of commercial competitiveness is an excellent tool in order to gain an understanding of the market behaviour of a given product. This methodology can be implemented on goods with a significant influence on total exports, in addition to others having a lower impact, such as honey, which has interesting production characteristics. This paper aims to study the behaviour of the main competitiveness indices (RXA, RMA and RTA) relating to the European Union honey market, as the UE acts as an important trade hub for primary sector products, with a separate focus on the Italian performance. The results show that the EU is not very competitive in relation to honey exports and is strongly oriented towards imports. The analysis of the disaggregated data, on the other hand, has revealed that the eastern regions of the EU, currently important producers of honey, are the areas with the highest performance and degree of specialisation in honey exports. Italy's behaviour is similar to the rest of the EU, showing a substantial comparative disadvantage in the trade of this product when compared to countries such as Romania or Spain, which produce greater quantities, or Germany, that is highly specialised in trade.