Logistics support for the sustainable development of the agrarian sector: a project approach

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the theoretical foundations for the application of the project approach in the field of agricultural logistics and to analyze the current state and trends in the transportation of goods in the agricultural sector of Ukraine. Results. Based on the analysis of the literature, the essence of the following concepts is defined: “logistics project”, “project management in agricultural logistics”, “logistics support of the agricultural sector”, “projects of logistics support of the agricultural sector”. Analysis of the dynamics of the volume of transportation of goods in the agricultural sector by road transport enterprises during 2015–2020 revealed a growth trend of this indicator and demonstrated their important place in the total volume of cargo transportation in Ukraine (their share was 12.4–14.0 %). It has been established that the volume of transportation of goods in the agricultural sector by different types of transport is increasing, which is the result of an increase in the production of agricultural products, especially grains, but the existing logistics infrastructure does not always meet the needs of agribusiness at a sufficient level. A trend towards an increase in the average prices for the transportation of goods that have developed during the purchase by agricultural enterprises has been revealed, however, the growth rates, as well as the prices themselves, vary significantly in the context of the regions of Ukraine. Scientific novelty. The author's interpretation of the concept of “projects of logistics of the agricultural sector” is proposed as a set of interrelated one-time activities that are performed within the logistics activities and aimed at achieving certain goals within the established time and resource constraints. Provisions on the assessment of the logistics support for the agricultural sector based on the analysis of the dynamics of the volume of transportation of goods by different types of transport and the average prices for the transportation of goods, which were formed during the purchase of agricultural enterprises, were further developed. Practical value. It is established that while maintaining the existing average annual growth of prices for transportation of agricultural goods, in Ukraine it is possible to predict their increase in 2022 to 3.00 UAH/t·km. Considering that logistics costs in the agricultural sector of Ukraine are much higher than in the EU and the USA, it is necessary to develop and implement projects aimed at reducing the cost of transporting agricultural goods by various types of transport, modernizing the fleet of grain wagons and cars, developing river logistics, road and port infrastructure for the implementation of sustainable logistics strategy.