Economic and Marketing Efficiency of Wheat Crop in Egypt

M. E. S. Shaheen, Mohamed; H. Salem, Mohamed; M. Abdel-Maqsoud, Abdullah; A. M. Abdel-Fatah, Ibrahim

doi:10.21608/esm.2025.452240

Economic and Marketing Efficiency of Wheat Crop in Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Postgraduate student registered for a PhD

² Professor of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University

³ Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University

10.21608/esm.2025.452240

Abstract

Wheat is considered one of the most important strategic crops in Egyptian agriculture, as it is cultivated across the majority of Egyptian governorates. In 2023, the cultivated area reached about 3.167 million feddans. Wheat is primarily used for bread production, which constitutes the staple food for the population regardless of their living standards. It represents the main source of energy, providing approximately 57% of an individual’s daily caloric requirements from starches, in addition to a significant portion of protein needs.
The research problem lies in the fact that the self-sufficiency ratio of wheat in 2023 reached only about 46%, despite the increase in domestic production. This may be attributed to population growth and the inability of production growth to keep pace with the rising consumption of wheat and wheat flour. Consequently, Egypt has become one of the largest wheat-importing countries in the world, with imports amounting to about 9.212 million tons in 2024.
The study shows that an increase of half a million feddans in the cultivated area would result in an additional production of approximately 10.34 million tons, with an absolute change of about 0.83 million tons and a relative change rate of 8.73%. Assuming an average yield of 2.85 tons per feddan, this additional area would reduce the wheat consumption gap by about 8.91 million tons, out of the total gap estimated at 10.34 million tons during the study period. This corresponds to an absolute change of –1.43 million tons and a relative change rate of –13.83%. Moreover, the self-sufficiency ratio would increase to approximately 55.10%, with an absolute change of about 7.18% and a relative change rate of 14.98%.

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