| Author(s) | Waleed Hmedat and Abdullah EI-Rubie |
| Affiliation | Department of Economics Yarmouk University, Jordan |
| Title | Food Security in Jordan: Empirical Study Concerning Wheat (1974-1996) |
| Source | Journal of King Saud University. Administrative Sciences. Volume 12, No 2. (2000/1420) |
| Abstract | Wheat is an important commodity not only for Jordan but also for the rest of the world. It is also a major item in consumer budget. Since 1989 the government has pursued an ambitious reform agenda in order to stabi-lize the economy, improve efficiency and broaden the role of foreign sector. As a result of the government's structural reform program, subsidies have been lifted. Consequently, wheat prices rose sharply in summer 1996. Despite the rise of wheat prices, the demand maintained its previous level due to the importance of wheat for the consumer's food basket. However, wheat production in the Kingdom has been decreasing while its consumption is steadily growing, as a result of a high population growth and increasing income. The wheat deficiency (gap), therefore, is growing and the problem of food security has been dampening. The aim of this paper is to estimate the production ,Uldconsumption functions as well as the gap projection during the next decade. This analysis also suggests the need for increasing wheat production in order to replace imports and avoid the financial and eco-nomic difficulties. |
