Food Industry - Economic Categories and Processes Specific to the Secondary Sector

Abstract

This paper explores the approach of the agri-food industry sector, in the context of the manufacturing industries within the national economy. At present, four categories of agri-food industries can be distinguished: the industries that transform/process and cure perishable goods, the agri-food industries in the beverage sector (alcohol, tonic or natural drinks), the grain-processing industries and intermediate products industries. The analysis of this sector, which is a complex apparatus in terms of processing, distribution, marketing, etc., reveals the special relationships that structure them, and we can practically observe that the Romanian food industry is characterized by a relatively low productivity, by manufacturing technologies that are not among the most modern ones (obviously, there are companies that make an exception), as well as by a certain incompatibility with the market demand. Certainly, the revival of the food industry is still dependent on the increased competitiveness of products and, on the other hand, by the establishment of new processing units in rural areas.