AN ECONOMIC STUDY OF THE MOST IMPORTANT HORTICULTURAL CROPS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRODUCTS WITHIN NORTH SINAI

Authors

1 Direct. Agric., Min. Agric. and Land Reclam., Egypt.

2 Dept. Econ. and Rural Develop., Fac. Environ. Agric. Sci., Arish Univ., Egypt.

3 Nat. Res. Cent., Egypt.

Abstract

The food industry is considered one of the most important pillars of economic development in various developing and developed countries. North Sinai is considered one of the most important border governorates producing agricultural crops such as date palm and olives, contributing 53% of the total area. Despite the fact that the governorate of North Sinai has a comparative advantage in the production of some flora such as olives, palm trees. The study also aims at identifying the current status of producing the most important horticultural crops in North Sinai Governorate by shedding light on the development of cultivated areas of olive and palms crops within the various administrative districts in North Sinai Governorate. The administrative districts  in the governorate, and then forecast the cultivated areas of olive and Palms crops within the various administrative districts  in the governorate .In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the study relied on the descriptive economic analysis methods and the quantitative economic analysis of the variables of the study, the measurement location, both through economic characterization of the area and productivity variables using percentages and averages, as well as estimating the general time trend equations to predict the variables of area and productivity within the governorate. The study is based on the secondary data of the office and the publications of horticulture, both published and unpublished, issued by the Directorate of Agriculture in North Sinai, and the publications of the Information and Decision Support Center of the General Court of North Sinai Governorate.The results of the research sohwed that the olive crop is one of the most important fruit crops in North Sinai. It was found that the cultivated area of ​​olive trees inside the governorate has reached a minimum value of about 12.1 thousand feddans with a development rate of 100% during 2000, The total average area of ​​cultivated olive trees within the governorate was about 28.52 thousand feddan during the period 2000-2016, The estimates of the general time trend equation showed that the area cultivated with olives increased annually by a statistical significance of about 2950 feddans. The annual growth rate of the cultivated area of ​​olive trees within the governorate reached about 10.3%. Based on the estimates of this equation, the area planted with olives may reach 85.79 thousand feddans in 2025.The results of the study showed that the minimum area reached 7.01 thousand feddans, an increase of 89.1% during 2002, while the maximum value reached about 10.15 thousand feddans, An evolution rate of about 129% during 2012, 2013. The total average area of ​​the palm area is about 8.7 thousand feddans, contributing to the production of about 18.5 thousand tons during the period (2000-2016).The general time trend estimation estimates that the cultivated area of ​​date palms is growing annually by a statistically significant value of about 132 feddans. The annual growth rate of palm trees in North Sinai Governorate was about 1.5%. It was possible to predict the cultivated area of ​​date palm trees inside the governorate of North Sinai, which amounted to about 10.8 thousand feddans in 2025.

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