Descriptive and Econometric Analysis of Wheat Production in Afghanistan (A Case Study in Paktia Province)

Abstract

The agricultural sector in Afghanistan faces many challenges in general that have directly affected the production of crops. Especially wheat crop because of its great importance to the population sector as it is the first source of food in Afghanistan. Problem of this study due to wheat production in Afghanistan is insufficient for domestic consumption. Therefore, the Afghan government is relying on foreign markets to cover the gap between production and consumption. The study aims to assess the current situation of wheat production and consumption in Afghanistan, as well as to understand the farmers' perceptions and attitudes towards the problems facing them. The agricultural sector in Afghanistan faces many challenges in general that have directly affected the production of crops. Especially wheat crop because of its great importance to the population sector as it is the first source of food in Afghanistan. The current study applied simple regression analysis in estimating the general trends to determine the productive and economic indicators of Wheat crop. Also, we use Analysis of variance (One Way ANOVA) to understand the farmers' perceptions and attitudes towards the problems facing them. The results showed that wheat productivity averaged 1.77 tons per ha and ranged between a minimum of 1.23 tons per ha in 2008 and a maximum of 2.20 tons per ha in 2015. On the other hand, the estimated regression equation indicates that productivity of wheat crop followed an increase trend, at an annual rate of 0.047 ton per ha and a statistically significant rate of change amounting to 2.66% of the study period’s average productivity.