إستراتيجية إنتاج البطاطس في المملكة العربية السعودية

الملخص EN

This research aimed to develop an economic plan to increase potato production and reduce the amount of water used in water-stressed sedimentary shelf areas, by using the quantitative economic analysis represented in Scoring Technique method and the linear programming model, in addition to the sensitivity analysis to meet expected changes in productivity and resource determinants.

This study obtained a set of results, the most important of which are: (1) Potato production is concentrated in the sedimentary shelf regions (Riyadh, Hail, Al-Jouf, Tabuk and Al-Qassim), where the total relative importance of the production of these areas reached 99.24%, (2) The variation in potato productivity between regions is due to difference in fertility, water quality, temperature, humidity, rainfall rates, and farmers' experience, (3) The priority of productive regions in planting potatoes places Hail first, followed by Al-Qassim and then Al-Jouf.

As for Tabuk, it ranked fourth, followed by Riyadh, then Asir, then Najran and Al-Baha regions in seventh place, then the eastern region, Makkah and Madinah, respectively, (4) The proposed economic plan using linear programming includes increasing potato production by 30.64% and reducing the amount of water used in the sedimentary shelf regions by 70.48% ,and thus reduce the use of nonrenewable groundwater, (5) The proposed economic plan leads to a reduction in imports quantity, and an increase in the self-sufficiency rate of potatoes from 89.45% to 116.85%.

(6) This study recommends that the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture should review the potato production policy by focusing potato cultivation in the regions with high and medium productivity according to the priorities of the regions and the proposed economic guidance for the land and water resources used in the production of potatoes.