Impact of Information Technology Implementation on Broiler Farms in Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo, Al-Azhar University, Egypt.

2 Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Beni-Suef University, 62521, Egypt.

Abstract

The broiler chicken industry in Egypt contributes approximately 20.5% of the total value of animal production, on average, during the period (2015–2022). Information technology and its applications in various aspects of global and Egyptian agriculture have recently become a major trend worldwide. Therefore, this research primarily aims to monitor the risks and production challenges facing the broiler chicken industry in Egypt. The study reached several key findings, the most significant of which is the decline in the number of broiler farms from 2006 to 2010 due to the outbreak of avian influenza. The disease was officially reported on February 17, 2006, in three Egyptian governorates. Within three months, the number of affected governorates increased to 19 out of a total of 26. By the summer of 2006, infection rates declined except for some domestic poultry, but the disease reappeared in the winter of 2006 and early 2007 with less widespread occurrence. Additionally, the results indicated that the average distribution efficiency index reached approximately 79%, meaning that the resource combinations used, given their relative prices, do not minimize costs. A different combination could have achieved the same production level at a cost about 21% lower than the actual cost, indicating a 21% cost waste in traditional farms. Meanwhile, the average economic efficiency index was found to be around 75.4%, suggesting that the resource combinations used do not maximize profit. The same production level could have been achieved at a cost approximately 24.6% lower than the actual cost.

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