أثر المنطقة الديموجرافية ومستوى الدخل على سلوك المستهلك نحو الألبان ومنتجاتها في مصر[Impact of Demographic Region and income level on consumer behavior towards Dairy products in Egypt]

The study of consumption is of great importance for the formulation of economic policies and the identification of the projection of consumer behavior and its impact on the quantities consumed by each commodity, thus contributing to the definition of the objectives of economic development plans and hence the policies leading to the achievement of those goals and aimed at satisfying the needs of the population of various goods and services while rationalizing consumption rates. Despite the nutritional importance of dairy products and the availability of a comparative advantage for Egypt in dairy production, the average per capita milk and dairy products are still very low, with a high rate of dependence of domestic consumption on imports to fill the gap between domestic production and consumption, which in turn affects the increase in the deficit in the balance of trade and hence the Egyptian balance of payments. The study aimed at estimation of the dairy products consumption functions as an important component in the Egyptian consumer map to identify the difference between urban and rural communities, besides estimation of impacts in the difference of the level of per capita income on the consumption of milk and dairy products in the two regions, measured as the average of the income elasticity, to determine the current status of food consumption patterns of the per capita consumption behavior in both urban and rural areas. The study relied, mainly, on the field sample data of the household budget survey for the year 2015, conducted by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics. The estimated consumption functions for milk and dairy products included the effects of both the average annual income per capita and the demographic region (urban and rural). Derived results showed that the urban community had a statistically positive impact on consuming of packaged milk (either pasteurized or sterile), as well as the consumption of both yogurt and full-fat white cheese, while there was a statistically negative effect of the damage on the consumption of fatless chees and the urban community had no statistically significant impact on the consumption of fresh milk consumption. The average estimated income elasticity coefficient indicated that the consumer considered both fresh milk and full cream white cheese as semi-superior goods (estimated income elasticity was between greater than 0.5, to less than 1), while packaged milk and yogurt are superior goods (their elasticity was greater than 1), and fatless-cheese is a necessary commodity for low income levels and an inferior commodity for higher income groups.