Competition in the vegetable market and challenges for the industry: a bibliometric analysis of dominant publications

Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to identify current and future directions of research using bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in Scopus and Web of Science databases on the problems of competition in the vegetable market and industry development, as well as dominant topics. Methodology / approach. A comprehensive review of 1246 publications indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases was carried out using the VOSviewer and Bibliometrix software packages. The analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel, Canva, and Datawrapper programs, and after careful consideration, 67 works were selected for in-depth study. Results. The bibliometric analysis of the published publications revealed research trends; using software analysis, by periods, the main directions of research carried out in the last 60 years were evaluated; participation of countries in the process of scientific research was determined; research clusters were identified according to the countries and authors of dominant publications. The paper provides conclusions about current research problems in the publications on competition in the vegetable market and industry challenges, and offers recommendations for future research directions. It was determined that conducting a similar bibliometric research in developing countries such as Georgia is impossible at this stage due to the lack of a local scientific database, also they do not have enough abilities to publish a large number of articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. Impeding factors were identified and ways to solve the problem were determined. Originality / scientific novelty. Based on the bibliometric analysis, for the first time, investigation is conducted to examine the competition in the vegetable market and industry challenges. The bibliometric analysis revealed that the research field has been developing steadily and continuously over the years, with narrow and specialised topics being transformed in a multifaceted way in the wake of global issues. The research area is geographically unevenly concentrated in the countries of North America, Europe and Asia. Practical value / implications. The obtained results will help stakeholders, in particular: (і) researchers to identify current issues in the industry; (іі) the major players in the vegetable market in assessing the level of market competition; and (ііі) political actors in determining the characteristics of the industry for the implementation of innovative projects.