An Economic study of manufacturing fruit and vegetable products and their impact on improving the standard of living of the rural population in the Damascus Governorate (Sargayaa area as an example)

The aim of the research is to conduct an economic study for the manufacture of fruit and vegetable products and its impact on improving the standard of living of the rural population in the Damascus Suburbs Governorate in Sergaya district. It was achieved by estimating the total manufacturing costs and the economic returns achieved for the average agricultural season 2020/2021, in addition to determining the costs, margins and marketing efficiency of the studied products, and identifying the main problems related to their manufacture. The comprehensive inventory method was adopted and targeted all the manufacturers who manufacture vegetable products, as their number reached about 85 farmers.The number of merchants of processed fruit and vegetable products reached about 22, who deal in buying and selling industrial products in Sergaya district and its affiliated villages.The research relied on quantitative analysis and economic analysis based on economic indicators related to manufacturing costs, calculating the economic return, value added and net added value achieved from manufacturing goods in the study sample. The results of the analysis showed that all manufactured products achieved a rewarding economic return for the manufacturers, and a good added value, as well as real economic feasibility in terms of the studied economic indicators.Which was represented in the positive value of the net income index, the positive value of the gross margin index and the revenue-cost ratio index. The results also showed that the problem of merchants' control of prices occupied the first rank among the obstacles that the respondents faced in the manufacturing processes, and the provision of equipment needed for manufacturing occupied the first rank among the development proposals according to the respondents' opinion.The value of marketing efficiency (1) was high for the products manufactured in all the study sample. The research recommended a number of recommendations, including encouraging manufacturers to market their products that they manufacture instead of relying on intermediaries and traders, and establishing a marketing authority for marketing manufactured products with the aim of supervising and controlling their sales operations to prevent monopoly and providing the necessary equipment for manufacturing, and working to reduce the prices of raw materials and their availability at appropriate times. And the provision of modern and advanced manufacturing equipment, in order to improve the level of marketing performance, in addition to reducing manufacturing and marketing costs