The Case of International Competitiveness of Polish Fruit and Their Preserves

The primary purpose of the paper was to evaluate the international competitiveness of Polish fruits and their processed products in comparison to major global exporters. A comparative analysis allows for identifying key competitive advantages and weaknesses. Quantitative data analysis was employed to measure international competitiveness using key indicators such as Market Share (MS), Trade Balance, Competitiveness Ratio (CR), Import Penetration (IP), Intra-Industry Trade (IIT), and Terms of Trade (ToT). These metrics were calculated based on data obtained from Comtrade, with results presented in a time-series format to capture long-term trends. An extensive literature review was conducted to examine various definitions and frameworks of international competitiveness. The study revisits conventional competitiveness indicators to address their limitations in reflecting contemporary global market dynamics. The reinterpretation acknowledges the challenges posed by increased capital mobility and evolving trade patterns, thereby enhancing the accuracy of competitiveness assessments. The study takes into account the need to reinterpret commonly used indicators in the literature due to their decreasing relevance in the context of global market dynamics, characterized by increasing trade and capital flows. The decline in the level of indicators that include imports in their formulas (IP and CR) may lead to an increase in the level of indicators that take exports into account (foreign trade balance, share in global exports). For example, a strong increase in the import of concentrated apple juice results in an increase in the export of this product and an improvement in the competitive position on the global market.