كفاءة استخدام الموارد الزراعية في انتاج البلح بمحافظة الوادي الجديد

The date palm crop has a great importance in the agricultural economic activity of the New Valley Governorate. Nevertheless, the agricultural statistics indicated that there is a sharp fluctuation in production of date palm and a noticeable decrease in the productivity of its tree in the New Valley Governorate, which may due to the decline of its productive and economic efficiency and inability of optimal exploiting for the available agricultural resources. Therefore, the research aimed at identifying and measuring the productive and economic efficiency for the agricultural resources in palm farms in the New Valley, which may helps to come out with some recommendations to increase the production of date palm and to improve the efficiency of agricultural resources. The research depended on the descriptive and quantitative statistical analysis methods. It is also depended basically on the field data by choosing a random sample of 75 of date palm farms with three categories (25 farms for each category). The research results were as follows:
1- The time trend equations for the area, production and productivity of date palm at the level of the New Valley and at the level of the Republic indicated that all of these indicators tend to increase by statistically-significant rates during the study period (2005-2019). It was also found that there is a sharp fluctuation in the production of date palm and a significant decrease in its productivity in the New Valley compared to the level of the Republic.
2- According to a constant return to scale model, the technical efficiency of date palm farms at the level of the first category ranged between a minimum of 21.6% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 66.3%, whereas, According to a variable return to scale model, it ranged between a minimum of 31.6% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 74.6%. The scale efficiency ranged between a minimum of 49.1% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 89.2%.
3- According to a constant return to scale model, the technical efficiency of palm farms at the level of the second category ranged between a minimum of 47.7% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 70.4%, whereas, According to a variable return to scale model, the technical efficiency ranged between a minimum of 51.6% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 81.7%. The scale efficiency ranged between a minimum of 59% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 86.1%.
4- According to a constant return to scale model, the technical efficiency of palm farms at the level of the third category ranged between a minimum of 63.9% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 86.8%, whereas, according to a variable return to scale model, it ranged between a minimum of 74.9% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 91.8%. The scale efficiency ranged between a minimum of 75.1% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 94.3%.
5- The allocative efficiency of palm farms at the level of the first category ranged between a minimum of 27.7% and a maximum of 100%, with an average estimated at 51%, whereas, the economic efficiency ranged between a minimum of 14.6% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 39.8 %.
6- The allocative efficiency of palm farms at the level of the second category ranged between a minimum of 43.1% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 61.9%, whereas, the economic efficiency ranged between a minimum of 23.5% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 51.6%.
7- The allocative efficiency of palm farms at the level of the third category ranged between a minimum of 61.1% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 75.2%, whereas, the economic efficiency ranged between a minimum of 48.7% and a maximum of 100%, with an average of 69.3%.
The research resulted in set of recommendations. These recommendations can be summarized with: the need to work on collecting the agricultural estates categories, the necessity to rationalize and optimize the use of agricultural resources, the necessity for the governmental support in order to reduce the prices of agricultural requirements, conducting the technical studies in the research area to discover the problems facing palm farmers, and reallocating of the agricultural economic resources to improve its efficiency.