| Abstract: | Economic and financial feasibility of projects that are being presented for potential funding by financial agencies depend, among others, on the soundness of assumptions made about the niche in the market which the contemplated enterprises are to fill. This type of market share forecasting is particularly hazardous for entrepreneurs in less developed countries (LDCs), who aim at penetrating export markets for non-traditional agricultural commodities. In this article the author: (a) reviews the methodology used by an Uruguayan enterprise, which decided to export summer citrus to markets in the Northern Hemisphere; (b) shows how these procedures for market share forecasting could be readily adapted to preparation of feasibility studies for enterprises aimed at penetrating export markets for other non-traditional products; and (c) explores the macro-marketing implications of the case study for off-season export of fresh produce from the Southern Hemisphere to consumer centers in North America, Western Europe and Japan. |
