INNOVATION OF PRODUCTS IN THE BRAZILIAN POULTRY CHAIN: THE CASE OF THE INSUMES INDUSTRY

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to discuss product innovations implemented in the period of 1999-2003 in the poultry chain insumes in Brazil. The analysis presented was made possible according to the multi-case studies involving fourteen organizations belonging to the following productive chains: genetics, medication and animal nutrition. This broad segmentation of operations follows its own understanding of the agro-industrial chain of production, which is related to a succession of dissociable transformation operations capable of being separated and linked to themselves by a technical chaining. Among the various results, stands out the inventive effort from the firms on innovating not only on better products, but also in new products. That is possible due to the necessity of incorporating alterations that come from other areas, such as medical and nutrition (introduction of medication for insertion in ration) as well as demands from the internal and external market. In this aspect, the companies which were analyzed showed themselves to be up-to-date, following new market demands.