Kasem Muhammad Al-Horan 
General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR)
Faculty of Agriculture, Damascus University
2010

Abstract

This search was executed in the administrative areas of Deraa province which grow spring potato. It was done to care the geographic diffusion  on one hand and proportion of production to each area on the other hand. The data was collected and classified by using (Excel and SPSS packages) to be used in mathematical and economic analyses. Marketing of spring potato is considered as a main problem in Deraa province, and the marketing methods are unsuitable and don’t overtake the problems of potato production. In Deraa province, the absence of social and economic studies of potato production and marketing show the need for  this study as this crop ranks the third among the main crops in Deraa province. This search aims to study development of acreage and production  of  spring potato and productivity in Deraa province and the marketing trajectories costs prices and margins of potato and it describes the situated and obstacles of marketing of spring potato. This search shows that spring potato is produced in considerable amounts where the production reach to 43908 ton, the acreage is 1435 hectare, yield is 30.597 ton/ha in the year 2007. The production is marketed either the wholesale market, agricultural factories or to chips factories. The results show a rise marketing margin of farmer when he markets his production to the wholesale market, and it reaches up to 4.66 SP/kg. This rise resulted from the rise of marketing costs of farmer which reached to 1.77 SP/kg but the profit was 2.83 SP/kg, because of dealers domination of prices and many exhibits in comparison with need. The sale price is 15.32 SP/kg .  When the farmer markets his production to chips factories, the marketing margin decrease to 2.87 SP/kg, and this decrease is attributed to the absence of marketing process. The marketing cost is  0.88 SP/kg, the profit is 1.99 SP/kg, and the sale price is 13.95 SP/kg.
But when the farmer markets his production to agricultural factories the marketing margin reach 5.14 SP/kg, despite of scarcity marketing process. In addition, there is no tax on farmer in this trajectory the main cause of the rise of marketing margin in this trajectory ascribed to an increase of profit which reaches 4.72 SP/kg. The sale price of is 15.86 SP/kg,
The search shows a rise in the marketing margin of wholesaler reaching to 0.92 SP/kg, because rising profit. The marketing margin of retailer reach to 4.76 SP/kg, because of rising marketing costs which reached 2.76 SP/kg. The marketing margin of chips factory reached to 67.66 SP/kg, because of rising marketing costs reaching 48.66 SP/kg. This search shows a rise of marketing margin of agricultural factory which reached 10 SP/kg, because rising profit. It also shows a rise in marketing margin of wholesaler and retailer of chips because of high profit to both.