AN ECONOMIC STUDY FOR PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF FISH IN EGYPT

The Fisheries is considered an important source of national income. Fish product is one of important component in the agricultural production. the problem of this study determined in increasing fish food gap with about 319 thousand tons in 2012. The study aimed to description and analysis of fish production in Egypt in terms of domestic production, imports, exports, consumption, the food gap, the proportion of self-sufficiency, the average per capita available amounts for consumption, In addition, studying the factors that effect on the production and consumption of fish in Egypt.   The study should be verification the following results   The fish production in Egypt is growing annually by about 55.9 thousand tons during the period average (1995-2012), which represents about 6.4% of the annual average, Imports of fish increase during the study period by about 4.5 tons by about 33.6 million pounds per year, and fish exports are increasing annually by about 0.68 tons by about 5.3 million pounds annually while the production of fish according to different sources show that fish farming ranked first by about 55.3% of the average amount of production, and the total northern lakes ranks second at about 14.7%, while the production of the Sea (White, Red ) ranked third by about 14.1%, and the River Nile is ranked fourth by about 10.2 and inland lakes and coastal ranked fifth and sixth by about 5.2%, 0.5% respectively during the study period . Nevertheless, the results show that there are statistically significant differences between the indicators during the period average (2008-2012). In addition, the results show that tilapia ranked first with an average production of about 646.4 thousand tons representing about 52.1%, While the average production of mullet, carp, catfish, reaches about 181.9, 142.1, 43.1 thousand tons respectively, representing about 14.7%, 11.5%, 3.5% respectively of the average total fish production during the period (2008-2012). The study also indicate that the most important economic factors that affecting on the fish production in Egypt is the amount of fish imports, the quantity of available fish, the partial elasticity of them are about -0.294 and 1.2, which indicates that an increase in the quantity of imports by about 1% leads to the decline of fish production by about 0.3%, increase the amount of fish consumption by about 1% lead to increase the amount of production by about 1.2%. However, the results show that the most important factors affecting on the amount of fish consumed in Egypt is the population and the average price of a kilogram of fish. Therefore, the study recommended the development of fisheries sector and set up of collection centers for the production of fish near fish farms, Moreover, the necessity of expansion in aquaculture to fill the fish food gap.