ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF RICE MARKETING LOSS IN DAMIETA GOVERNORATE

Abstract

Rice is an important cereal crop in the Egyptian economy. Egypt is self sufficient of rice production and has a surplus of the crop that is exported every year. Moreover, some industries like , rice milling, animal feed, oil are benfited from rice and its by­ products. Economic agricultural reform policy s!arted in late eighties has a prefound effects on rice production in Egypt; price incentives, improved varieties, extension services... etc. had its impacts on the area and yield of rice. In 1999, rice area was put as 1.558 million feddan with 3.74 ton per feddan producing about 5-8 million tons. Rice export in the same year was put as 207 thousand tons. Damietta governorate comes as the six Governorate in Egypt producing rice. The Governorate cultivates 61 thousand feddan producing 180 thousand tons, this represents about 5% of total rice area and production in Egypt. Rice crop as other cereal crops is faced with many factors that caused loss in the crop particularly post­ harvest losses. Some put these losses as 188 thousand tons or the equivalent to the production of 62 feddans. The main objective of the present study is to assess rice loss during various marketing stages as from harvesting to storage. The study depends on data collected for a sample of farmers in Damietta governorate in 1999.