Assessment of the Agricultural Policy of Wheat and Sugar Beet Crops under the Food Security Conditions In Egypt

The importance of the research was to study the current situation of the food gap of wheat and sugar on an ongoing basis and the insufficient supply of local production to meet consumption. The research aimed mainly to identify the current position of Egyptian wheat and sugar to find out the reasons for the fluctuation of its quantity and value from year to year, by identifying the productive position of wheat and sugar in Egypt through its main production crops of sugar cane and sugar beet, in terms of production fluctuations and changes in the cost of local resources used in the production process and the prices of production inputs and the extent of their impact on their comparative advantage in production, and also the impact of this on decision-makers in Develop future policies for the development of these crops in light of local and regional changes, including the water crisis and the global crisis, such as the current Russian-Ukrainian war.
The agricultural policy of wheat and sugar beet was studied in terms of targeted support for production inputs and comparative advantage in their local production. The descriptive and econometric economic analysis method has been used through the simple and multiple regression method. The Policy Anaysis Matrix matrix, nominal and effective protection coefficients, and profitability measures were used during the study periods (2011-2015) and (2017-2021). The results showed that both wheat and sugar beet crops enjoy direct and indirect support, but wheat enjoys a high level of protection. While sugar beet surpasses wheat in financial and economic profitability in the first period before the exchange rate floated, which means that sugar beet has an absolute advantage over wheat. The study recommends continuing to provide both direct and indirect support to sugar beet farmers by encouraging the expansion of cultivated area by following a fair price policy for both crops.