The processing of agricultural products is one of the most vital sectors of secondary production. The importance of this sector mainly stems from the fact that its activity is connected with food production as well as the production of products to meet human needs. The main characteristic of the sector is that it uses primary agricultural products as raw materials and produces products that are ultimately food. However, the nature of agricultural products and food products has forced humans to create, through technology, a series of interventions in primary agricultural products, which require significant investments in facilities with huge economic implications for society. In other words, capital, employment, trade, and income are necessary for the processing of agricultural products, making the study of these activities essential from an economic perspective.
Furthermore, because the processing of agricultural products is connected with food production and often synonymous, the terms "processing of agricultural products" and "food production" are used interchangeably. Also, the terms "processing units" or "processing industry" or "food production industries" are also used interchangeably.

This publication is primarily educational and is aimed at students in agricultural and economic fields. The ten chapters of the second edition analyze, in a simple and understandable way, issues related to the economic organization, operation, and efficiency of agricultural product processing units. This book does not include technical and administrative organization topics.
The first chapter provides introductory concepts of processing and the legal form of processing enterprises. The necessity of these concepts arises from the nature of studying economic activities that occur during the processing process.
The second chapter presents economic concepts related to enterprises as well as the legal forms of enterprises.
The third chapter analyzes the economic principles of production with an emphasis on enterprises producing food, while the fourth chapter provides some definitions for processing industries.
The fifth chapter presents an extensive overview of the economic conditions under which processing enterprises can operate. Specifically, it analyzes the supply conditions of raw materials and the economic conditions affecting the supply and demand of primary and final products.
The structure and organization of processing industry markets is a topic that affects the economy and survival of enterprises. These issues are presented in the sixth chapter.
The cost of processing, i.e., the cost of converting primary agricultural products into new final products, is the subject of the seventh chapter.
The economic survival of enterprises engaged in the processing of agricultural products and food production depends to a large extent on the behavior of each in the broader market environment. The issues of enterprise actions are analyzed in the eighth chapter.
In the ninth chapter, the book deals with issues of efficiency in processing businesses.
Finally, in the tenth chapter, factors that affect the choice of location for processing businesses are analyzed, as well as general methods of partial organization of factories.