The new economic context, characterized by the opening of the market and the stabilization of the currency, has brought several challenges to the dairy chain, which has pressed the links of the chain to adjust as a way to resolve their main problems, both structural and technological. This study has tried to do an overview on the competitiveness of the dairy complex in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, focusing on its structure, strategies and the processes of interaction and inducement perceived among its links: farming production, industrialization and distribution. We have also tried to evaluate the expectations of the agents concerning to the evolution of the chain and its oncoming perspective. Thus, the study was based on secondary data and semi-structured interviews with representatives of all links. We have found that the first link, farming production, is the most fragile one and that it needs to increase productivity and scale, to improve quality and to reduce seasonal variations on production. In the other links it is necessary to enlarge the present competitive advantages by observing the global competitive movements and the alterations on the consumers' preferences.
competitiveness; agribusiness; dairy chain
