البعد الاقتصادي لاستراتيجية الأمن الغذائي للقمح في المملكة العربية السعودي

Abstract EN

This study aimed to investigate the economic dimension of the food security strategy in wheat in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) through 2015.

The study utilized econometric methods to analyze secondary data published by governmental agencies.

The major findings of this study include: (1) The strategic wheat stock for the period 1990 – 2010 was 0.8 million tons, sufficient for 3.94 months of domestic consumption.

Given the average wheat consumption rate, the food security coefficient was estimated to be 0.37 for the same period.

(2) In light of the recent wheat policies, annual wheat production is expected to decrease from 1.03 million tons in 2010 to 0.33 million tons in 2015.

(3) Total demand for wheat flour is expected to increase from 2.12 million tons (equivalent to 2.76 million tons of wheat) in 2010 to 2.73 million tons (3.42 million tons of wheat) in 2015.

(4)Wheat imports by KSA are expected to increase from 2.18 million tons valued at 571.26 million US$ in 2010 to about 3.52 million tons in 2015 at a costs of 922.1 million US$.

(5) Achieving food security for wheat in KSA requires a composite policy package that involves, among other things, the creation and management of a strategic reserve for wheat, a systematic evaluation of agricultural policies, and the restoration of the balance between water and food security.