ESTIMATING AND ANALYZING THE FUNCTIONS OF THE IMPORTS OF STRATEGIC CROPS IN SOME DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOR THE PERIOD (1980-2010)

Abstract

The agricultural imports are considered as one of the basis of the agricultural foreign commerce which most countries depend on for solving the shortage of agricultural products that are unable to provide for their people in a short term. The strategic corns have a great rank in the economies of developing countries because of their alimental importance and their contribution in the foreign commerce. Despite their importance, these crops are unavailable in these countries for several reasons: the first reason is disusing a correct agricultural policy, especially in the scope of organizing their productive resources to make a high economic efficiency in producing agricultural corps in order to increase the production of these corps, the second reason is the carelessness of lands reclamation and the third one is the lack of quantitative and qualitative incentives presented to the producers of the strategic crops. According to mentioned above, this study depends on a supposition that there are some variables are affect the imports of the strategic corns in some underdeveloped countries, hence, the following developing countries are chosen (Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Thailand, Indonesia, Morocco, Jordan, Pakistan), and four strategic corps are chosen: (Wheat, Barley, Rice, Maize). The time series data were used to estimate the phenomenon under study for every country separately, because it reflects the occurring changes in the imported quantities of the strategic corps, and they have features and characteristics differ from country to another according to the political and economic structure of these countries. To achieve best results, a standard model was applied with four formulas: (linear formula, double logarithm, semi-logarithm, reflected logarithm). The most important conclusions of this research were the alimental gap in the underdeveloped countries which results in depending grossly on importing the strategic corns under study in order to filling the increased alimental gap and increased local demand of these corps, and this has undesired economic effect like alimental dependence on the foreign countries.