Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Graduate Student-Agriculture Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University
2
Prof. Emeritus of Agriculture Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University
3
Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University.
4
Senior Researcher, Economic Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture
Abstract
The food processing industries based on vegetables and fruits are among the most important manufacturing sectors, in which fresh produce is transformed into products suitable for year-round consumption. The value of frozen vegetable exports has increased significantly—from approximately USD 27.33 million, representing about 9.53% of the total value of fresh vegetables in 2005, to around USD 286.41 million, representing approximately 16.50% in 2023.
The research problem lies in the low proportion of processed vegetables and the high rate of loss and waste, which threatens the growth and development of Egyptian exports in this sector if Egyptian processed products do not keep pace with their global counterparts.
Accordingly, the study aimed to:
Analyze the geographical distribution of Egypt’s frozen vegetable exports.
Estimate the external demand for Egyptian frozen vegetables during the period (2012–2023).
Estimate a gravity model and analyze competitiveness indicators.
The study yielded several findings, including:
The United States ranked first in terms of quantity of Egyptian frozen vegetable imports, with an average of approximately 25.81 thousand tons, representing about 14.61% of the total Egyptian exports in the same period, which averaged around 176.61 thousand tons. The study further shows an increase in the average total quantity of frozen vegetables imported into the U.S.A market—from approximately 750.032 thousand tons in the first period to around 836.201 thousand tons in the second period, and then rising to about 935.088 thousand tons in the third period. Mexico, Canada, and China together accounted for approximately 73.24% of total U.S.A imports during the first period.
The most influential factors affecting the average per capita share (in grams) of Egyptian frozen vegetable exports include:
Egypt’s export price (USD/ton),
Belgium’s export price,
The average U.S.A per capita national income (USD).
The F-statistic indicates that the model is statistically significant at the 0.05 level. Specifically, an increase in distance by 1 kilometer reduces Egyptian frozen vegetable exports by approximately 18 tons. Conversely, an increase in the importing country's GDP by USD 1 million leads to an increase in Egyptian frozen vegetable exports by about 90 tons. Additionally, a USD 1/ton increase in the import price leads to an increase of approximately 80 tons in Egyptian exports of frozen vegetables.
The study recommends the following:
Expanding the frozen vegetable processing industry, as it adds value to fresh produce, contributes to job creation, supports growing global demand, and ensures year-round availability of products.
Developing a production policy specifically aimed at export, rather than relying on exporting production surpluses.
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