AN ECONOMIC STUDY OF WHEAT HARVEST AND POST-HARVEST LOSSES IN GHARBIA GOVERNORATE

The aim of the research was to quantify the losses of wheat crop during the stages of production, harvesting and storage at farms. To achieve the research objectives, analytical and descriptive statistical tools were used to determine the actual loss and thus affect some economic variables of wheat crop. Secondary preliminary data were collected through a questionnaire for 120 farmers of wheat crop in Gharbia governorate with 120 views during the season (2016/2017). The results showed that study of the relative importance of wheat production showed that the area cultivated with wheat yield in Egypt increased by an annual average of 67.7 thousand feddan during the study period .The increase in the productivity of feddan from about 2.73 tons in 2003 to about 2.77 tons in 2015 by about 1.43% in the year 2000, Than in 2003.The increase in wheat production in Egypt showed a significant increase of 192.87 thousand tons during the study period .A study of the relative importance of the monetary value of wheat in Egypt showed a statistically significant increase of about 1.83 billion pounds during the study period. The increase in the value of wheat imports in Egypt showed a significant statistical increase of about 1.66 billion pounds during the study period.  A study of the loss in the wheat yield and the area planted with the crop showed a decrease in the losses of wheat yield in the high size farms, which is greater than the other sizes, with a decrease rate of 54.4%, 36% and 12.9% respectively. In the sense that increasing the area by one acre leads to a decrease in the quantity of losses in the wheat yield by about 9.99 kg. The study of the relationship between the losses per feddan in wheat harvest and the date of harvest showed a statistically significant negative relationship, meaning that the time of early harvest leads to a decrease in the total losses in the yield of about 3.56 kg, the results of the relationship between losses of feddan in wheat yield and harvest method indicate a statistically significant negative relationship. Meaning that the automatic harvest leads to a decrease in the total losses in the yield of about 18.5 kg, and it was found that the relationship of negative morale statistically, meaning that the wheat that was dried lead to a decrease in the losses of feddan in the wheat crop by about 17.87 kg, and found a significant negative relationship statistically among the losses per feddan In the wheat yield and packing method, in the sense that the mechanical filling leads to a deficiency of the total losses per feddan in the crop of about 33.54 kg for the sample in the province of Gharbia.