Khetam Idris*(1)

(1). Homs Research Center, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Damascus, Syria.

(*Correspoding author: Dr. Khetam Idria. E-Mail: vera_naya@yahoo.com).

Received: 24/10/2017                                Accepted: 04/12/2017

Abstract

The research aimed to identify the current status of wheat in Syria during the period (2000-2012), and to study the energy of production and consumption, gap size, besides self-sufficiency ratio of wheat, as well as to highlight on the average per capita of the available for consumption, the annual average income per capita, and the annual population increase. The research also indicated the most important factors affecting the production and domestic consumption of wheat. The results had showed that the general trend of total production, cultivated area and productivity is a descending direction during the studied period. Also, the consumed amount of wheat during the studied period increased, with an average of (4084.42) thousand tons annually, while the average of domestic production amounted to about (4008.38) thousand tons for the same period. Besides the food gap of wheat ranged between a minimum value at (17.3) thousand tons in 2000, and a maximum value about 1660 thousand tons in 2009, the year in which consumption reached its maximum value in the time of studied series. The self-sufficiency ranged from (69.04%) in 2009 and (131.03)% in 2007 with an average of about (99.1)% during the period (2000 – 2012). The results also clarified that the rate per capita consumption and the population affected significantly the domestic consumption of wheat, and these variables explain about (91)% of the changes of the consumed wheat during the study period. Also, both cultivated area and yield had a significant effect on wheat production, and these variables explain about (95) % of the changes in the domestic production of wheat. It is also concluded that increasing self-sufficiency of wheat will take in the future for quite some time and it will be gradual. The results showed that the maximum of wheat self-sufficiency that could be achieved was approximately (242.86)%.

Key words: Wheat, Available for consumption, Self-sufficiency, Food gap.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF