التباين الجغرافي لتكاليف إنتاج محصول القمح في مصر

Abstract EN

The subject of this study is the analysis of disparities of wheat production costs among different governorates in Egypt.

identification of sources of variation of production costs could shed the light on possible ways to make wheat production in Egypt more cost effective.

the study relies on a panel of data that includes 19 governorates with 5 yearly observations for each governorate covering the period 2015/16: 2019/20.

the study shows that the average land productivity of 18 Ardab per Feddan costs about L.E.

8752 in Aswan governorate while the same yield is achieved with cost of production reaching L.E.

10298 in Sharqeya governorate.

that is wheat production costs 17.7 % more in Sharqeya than in Aswan.

the study reveals that the cost of chemical fertilizer shows the least variation among governorates while the cost of manure shows the largest variation among governorates.

obviously chemical fertilizer is subject to heavy governmental regulations and its subsidized prices are uniform across all governorates.

the cost of land rent is also very uneven among governorates.

for example, the average rent of one Feddan during the season of wheat production varies from L.E.

3200 in Aswan to L.E.

4640 in Minya governorate.

the variations in the cost of rent among governorates are statistically significant at the level of 1 %.

the costs of production for most crops have increased substantially after the adoption of economic reform measures in November 2016.

it is evident from the study that the total cost of wheat production has increased by 62% after the enactment of economic reform policy at the national level.

the percentage increase in wheat cost of production after the adoption of economic reform policy varied from 23% in Fayoum governorate to 57% in Aswan governorate.

the study concludes with a few recommendations.

it is recommended that the government should make sure that chemical fertilizer is available to farmers at affordable prices when they need it.

as the study indicates chemical fertilizer is pivotal for the enhancement of wheat production.

in general there should be more active role for the government extension service in order to guide the farmers through the best practices for wheat production.

there is a need to augment government efforts by provision of attractive prices that are at least equivalent to international wheat prices.