“Within the Arab world, all countries except Sudan, Syria and Somalia, are net importers of agricultural products. The average net import of agriculture products per individual is considerably higher in the GCC countries and Libya than other Arab countries, with the exception of Lebanon. Given the relatively low income per capita, the Arab countries that are likely to be hurt most by the rise in agricultural prices are Lebanon, Jordan and Djibouti.
The low average net import of agriculture products per individual in most of the other Arab countries might have positive implications for the Arab region. It will reduce the likely impact of the expected rise in prices of agricultural products on increasing poverty in the region, since most of the large net importers of agricultural products are the countries with relatively high income per capita.
On the other hand, the prices of the manufactured products, will likely be reduced due to trade liberalization. All the Arab countries are major importers of manufactured products. Given the likely increase in the prices of agricultural products and the likely fall in the prices of the manufactured goods, the net effect on the cost of living of the population in the Arab region is not entirely clear. For the poor, it is more likely that their cost of living will be increased, because of the high share spent on food in their budget. However, the percentage rise in their cost of living is expected to be less than the rise in the prices of agricultural products, because part of the increase in the prices of food will be compensated for by the fall in the prices of basic manufactured products” (Abed El-Khalek,G. and Karima Korayem, 2003)

“Moreover as most of the labor force in Arab countries are agricultural workers the impact of trade liberalization on growth and employment creation in the Arab countries (and most of the developing countries) will be less than in the case of developed economies that are mainly manufacturing-producers” .(El Khawaga, L., 2000)