The Economic Aspects of Food Security Policy of The Refined Sugar in Saudi Arabia

This study aimed to measuring  coefficient of food security of sugar during the period 1990-2008 in addition to the estimation of quantity and value of imports necessary to achieve different levels of food security for refined sugar in 2015. This study is based on economic equations and quantitative economic analysis. The results of this study include:
1- The strategic stock of sugar is 312.2 thousand tons, enough for domestic consumption for five months only. In the light of the strategic stock and the average domestic consumption of sugar amounting 552.45 thousand tons, the estimated coefficient of food security is 0.56 in the period 1990-2008.
2- Imports and domestic consumption are the most important determinants of the coefficient of food security for refined sugar. Under the policy to achieve the full level the coefficient of food security,
it requires the importation of a quantity of refined sugar amounting to 1.36 million tons, at the value 993 million Dollars  in 2015.
3- This study recommends the need to maintain the food security of refined sugar, through the strategic stock, enough domestic consumption for a period not  less than six months, The adoption of several policies including the following: (A) rationalizing the domestic consumption of refined sugar in both urban and rural Regions  so as not to increase the consumption needs than the estimated values, (B) expansion of the import of refined sugar to achieve different levels of the Coefficient  of  food security in 2015.