An Economic Study of the Effects of Local Changes on The Prices of Food and Agricultural Commodities in Egypt (Case Study in Qalyoubia Governorate)

The research aims to identify the effects of local changes on the prices of all commodities in general and agricultural food in particular. It became clear from the results of the field study that there are positive changes in the prices of rice, lentils, and local beans, with an increase rate during the first half of 2022 compared to the first half of 2021, amounting to about 73.3%, 10.2%, and 10.5% in the previous arrangement, compared to About 69.2%, 13%, and 11.11% for rural areas, in the previous order. The prices of oranges, bananas, and grapes also increased, by about 33.3%, 31.8%, and 31.8%, for each of them, respectively, from urban markets during the first half of 2022 compared to 2021, while the percentage of decline in the prices of imported apples was , Municipal apples, mangoes, fresh apricots, about 14.3%, 16.7%, 12.5%, 30% in 2022 compared to 2021 in the same previous order and at the level of urban markets.
By examining the seasonal changes index for the commodities under study in the transit market, the seasonal index for onions reached its maximum in January at about 121.5%, and the lowest in June, with a seasonal index of about 71.67%. While the summer orange reached its maximum in August, with a seasonal index of about 146.43%, and the lowest in October, with a seasonal index of about 31.35%. It also reached its maximum for tilapia 1 in October, with a seasonal index of about 119.32%, and the lowest in January, with a seasonal index of about 60.66%.
The research recommends the following:
1- The need for the intervention of the state and the Consumer Protection Agency to monitor the markets in order to achieve a balance in the prices of agricultural and food commodities
2- The need to control the storage of seasonal commodities to ensure the flow of commodities throughout the year and the stability of prices, in addition to paying attention to agricultural manufacturing, especially for perishable commodities.
3- Increasing the penalties in the old monopoly laws to limit the greed of merchants.
4- Expanding the sale of subsidized commodities through kiosks and consumer associations spread across rural and urban areas.
5- Benefiting from the results of the seasonal analysis of quantities and prices in drawing up policies and plans in order to increase the benefit from the quantities produced of agricultural and food commodities throughout the year.