The Main Characteristics and Indications of Production of the Most Important Vegetable Crops in Saudi Arabia

The objective of the study was to identify the main characteristics and indications related to the development and  production of the most important vegetable crops in Saudi Arabia which are potato, tomato, onion, watermelon and cucumber during the period 1980 - 2004, via studying the following:
1- The cultivated area and the productivity of the major vegetables in the kingdom.
2- Estimating the effect of the change in the crop area in the previous year as an independent variable on the cultivated area by the crop in the next year as a dependent variable
3- Forecasting of the cultivated area and the productivity of the respected vegetables during the period 2006 - 2010.
The study was dependent on the secondary data of the period 1980 – 2001, which were obtained from the ministry of finance and national statistical yearbooks, and FAO reports. The study was relied also on a descriptive and statistical analysis. The annual growth rates and the annual change in the cultivated area and productivity and the total production of the respected vegetables during the study period were estimated. Two models of time series forecasting were used for the cultivated area and productivity of the respected vegetables of the period 2006 – 2010, then the best model was chosen.
The most important results can be explained as follows:
1- The cultivated area by the respected vegetables was increasing during the study period except the area of tomato. The annual growth rate of the vegetables area was about 19.04%, -4.3%, 9.86%, 0.39% and 6.33% for potato, tomato, onion, watermelon and cucumber, respectively. This rate was statistically significant at the level of 1% with the exception of tomato and watermelon. In addition, there is no consistency in the area of potato and onion during the study period.
2- The trend of productivity increased during the study period except for watermelon, which was decreasing about 3.91%, 2.43%, 2.52%, -0.3% and 5.69% for potato, tomato, onion, watermelon and cucumber, respectively. This was statistically significant except onion and watermelon, and no consistency in the productivity of onion and cucumber throughout the study period.
3- By estimation the relationships between the annual cultivated area by the vegetable crop as a dependent variable and the cultivated area in the previous year as an independent variable in the double logarithmic function form, there was a response of the cultivated area in the current year for that in the previous year during the study period. The increase in the cultivated area of potato, tomato, onion, watermelon and cucumber in a certain season by 10% result in an increase in the cultivated area in the next season by these vegetables about 9.13%, 6.76%, 7.42%, 3.89% and 8.37%, respectively.
4- The forecasting results of the cultivated area and the productivity of the respected vegetables during 2006 - 2010 showed that it is expected for the area of the vegetables to increase during the mentioned period with the exception of tomato, which is expected to decrease during that period. For the productivity of potato, onion and cucumber is expected to increase, while the productivity of both tomato and watermelon is expected to decrease during that mentioned period.