The Economic Impact of Sugar Beet Cultivation in New Lands (Study of Al-Salam Canal Area Status)

Egypt produces about 1,757 million tons yearly offset by consumption estimated 2,600 million tons yearly. Namely there is a gap around 843 thousand tons and self-sufficiency rate of 68%, which can be achieved through increasing domestic production of sugar as raising total production of sugar crops. This raise could be executed by either extending the cultivated area or raising the production or both, and where the expansion in the cultivation of sugar crops in particular sugar cane is not currently available to the limited available water resources. The sugar beet is the second sugar source after sugar cane in the world and especially in Egypt, as the output of beet sugar is 25% of sugar in Egypt, and 40% of sugar produced in the world as whole. The commercial cultivation of sugar beet has been introduced to Egypt since season (1981-1982). Sugar beet is an important crop that helps in establishing integrated agricultural-industrial societies, especially in the new reclaimed areas, it contributes in many industries such as sugar industry, highly-value animal feed resulting from processing waste. The sugar beet cultivated area across Egypt about 248.308 thousand acres in 2007 -2008 season. The total production approximately 5,458 million tons, with productivity average is 21.98 tons. The South of El-Kantara Shark has been chosen as it is one of the most important of the recent reclamation and aquaculture region dependent on water of Al Salam Canal. The study aims at identify the current status of sugar beet development across Egypt at levels of evolution of cultivated area, productivity and total production. In addition to study the factor influencing and determining the production of beet crop in the South of El-Kantra Shark through the studying the efficiency of using the economic resources available for produce sugar beet in the concerned area. Also use indicators that may help in achieve competence of production element using. The study aims at observing and analyzing production costs of sugar beet crop. Beside identify the economic impact of sugar beet cultivation in new Lands nearby Al-Salam Canal. The study found that there is an increase in the amount of sugar production by 42.025 thousand tons per year within the study period, offset by an increase in sugar consumption about 57.158 thousand tons per year during the same period, resulting in a growing gap, the increasing rate of such nearly 16.417 thousand tons annually. It also found that there is a raise in the cultivated by 0928 thousand acres per year in new lands and by 10,494 acres annually at the Republic level during the study period. By measuring the economic efficiency with indicators, it has been shown that the value of production in the first category of possession was about 7560 pounds, nearly 7144 pounds for the second category approximately 7350.6 pounds for the total sample. Meanwhile the net return for the first category was about 3570 pounds, nearly 3149 pounds for the second category, and approximately 3358.12 pounds for the total sample of study, that is the first category (less than three acres) is the most profitable and the best in using the economic-agricultural resources efficiently. The study also found the economic impact of sugar beet cultivation in South of El Kantra Shark area lies in the cultivation in the new lands is one of the productivity methods and agricultural patterns used in the exploitation of the available agricultural resources, especially in the new lands. Generally, productivity competence could be increased in Al-Salam Canal area through these patterns, in addition to the added value of agricultural production in the concerned area. Moreover beet is a high-yielding crop compared to the other crops cultivated in the same season, such as wheat, alfalfa, and barley which is one of fodder crops, in addition to being one of the salinity tolerant crops cultivated in the new area of reclamation, which is very close to the study area (Sahl Al-tena region), which can be cultivated with sugar beet crop. This is in addition to sugar beet cultivation motivates of setting up projects that contribute in producing the sugar, which explained the results of the efficiency in the use of land resources available agricultural area of study and thus theability to provide inputs for the establishment of such projects by proposing cropping pattern provides spaces that can meet the needs of such projects, which represents a great exploitation of area resources. The study also found that the cultivation of this crop may provide a direct vacancies that can be provided by agricultural activity and the cultivation of sugar beet crop, and construction of these projects related to this activity, beside a another indirect job opportunities such as working in these industries based on agricultural production; extraction of sugar from sugar beets