Marketing pathways for the winter tomato crop in Qena Governorate

The tomato crop is considered one of the vegetable crops of high economic and nutritional importance; it is also considered one of the quickly perishable crops, which leads to an increase in the amount of loss during the various marketing stages, in addition to its vulnerability to weather factors that affect the quantities produced and the subsequent price fluctuations. The problem of the study is that the marketing system for the tomato crop faces many problems that prevent it from reaching the limit that contributes to maximizing the farmer’s profit and thus interest and expansion in its cultivation, especially since such a crop is considered one of the strategic crops that are exported abroad, which represents a source of foreign income that The country is striving to achieve it at the moment. Based on the aforementioned research problem the objectives of the study focused on: (1) Studying each of the productivity indicators and the most important economic indicators of the tomato crop in Qena Governorate; (2) Analysis of marketing services and margins for each of the producers، wholesalers،
retailers، and consumers of the tomato crop in Qena Governorate; and (3) Reaching the highest marketing pathways in obtaining profits for the tomato crop in Qena Governorate. Through the results obtained، it was found that there is a decrease in each of the cultivated area، the average production، and the total production of the tomato crop in Qena governorate، estimated at about 1532.93 feddans، 0.72 tons، and 45507.2 tons، respectively. It was also found that there was an annual increase in each of the agricultural price per ton, the feddan revenue, the production costs per feddan, and the net yield per feddan estimated at about 141.75, 2216.84, 732.24 and 1484.60 pounds, respectively, during the period under study. With regard to each of the profits and marketing margins of the different marketing pathways، it was found that they amounted to about 1155.2 pounds and 2460.0 pounds، respectively، for the marketing pathway from the producer to the consumer. While it amounted to about 135.2 pounds، 659.0 pounds، respectively، for the marketing pathway from the producer to the wholesaler. It also amounted to about 765.7 pounds and 1110.0 pounds، respectively، for the marketing pathway from the wholesaler to the retailer. While it amounted to about 586.0 pounds، 725.0 pounds، respectively، for the marketing pathway from the retailer to the consumer. Among the results of the analysis of the variation between the marketing profits of the different routes، the marketing route from the producer to the wholesaler came first، followed by each of the marketing routes directly from the wholesaler to the consumer، followed by the retailer to the consumer، then from the producer to the wholesaler.