CAIRO - 31 December 2023: Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, El Sayed El Qusair, announced the addition of over 3.5 million feddans of agricultural land through desert reclamation.
These areas are distributed across various projects, including the Toshka Al-Khair project covering 1.1 million feddans, the New Delta Giant project spanning 2.2 million feddans aimed at cultivating 350,000 feddans in Mostakbal Misr, the development project in North and Central Sinai covering 456,000 feddans, and the rehabilitation of the Egyptian countryside development project covering 1.5 million feddans over the past ten years.
New Lands in Upper Egypt
Additionally, lands in Upper Egypt and the New Valley were reclaimed, amounting to 650,000 feddans. The Egyptian state ensures its water needs from various sources, investing billions in the face of water scarcity. Key projects include the Burullus stations (5.6 million m3/day), El-Mahsama (1.3 million m3/day), and El-Hamam (7.5 million m3/day). Desalination of seawater is also emphasized, coupled with the adoption of modern irrigation systems to conserve water.
The minister highlighted Egypt's adoption of vertical expansion projects, aiming to increase productivity, improve agricultural practices, develop climate-adaptive varieties, increase reliance on approved and enhanced seeds, and map out strategic crop varieties. Additionally, the national project for agricultural greenhouses covering 100,000 feddans is being implemented.
Contract Farming
For the first time, the ministry implemented a contract farming system by announcing prices before cultivation for eight strategic crops, including wheat, sugar cane, sugar beet, soybeans, white and yellow maize, sunflower, and cotton.
The state took more stringent measures to secure strategic commodity stocks by expanding storage capacities through the National Silos Project, increasing storage capacity to over 3.5 million tons.
The ministry collaborates with relevant ministries to diversify trading partners by expanding sources of strategic crop imports such as wheat, maize, and oil crops, with 22 wheat sources identified. This strategy enables Egypt to meet its needs and build strategic reserves for a relatively longer period.
Agricultural Exports
There has been a breakthrough in fresh agricultural exports in 2023, exceeding 7 million tons, an unprecedented figure in the history of Egyptian agricultural exports. Integrated animal production projects were launched in El-Sadat, Fayoum, Wadi El Natrun, and El-Hamam, along with significant projects in fish wealth in Galuon, El-Fayrouz, the Suez Canal, and the Deba Triangle.
The national project for lake development was launched, establishing numerous marine fish seed hatcheries and enhancing freshwater hatcheries to increase productivity and supply the required seed for the Nile River. Additionally, 21 sites for sea cage aquaculture were offered in the Mediterranean and Red Seas through the Investment Authority.
Self-Sufficiency
Egypt achieved self-sufficiency in several crop categories, including vegetables and fruits, with surplus for export. The productivity gap for other crops like wheat, maize, and beans has narrowed.
Currently, 332 centralized agricultural service centers are being established in targeted governorates across 20 governorates, with a total cost exceeding LE 2 billion. These centers include 996 units, including veterinary units, advisory centers, agricultural associations, and dairy collection centers.
Supported Fertilizers
The minister stated that over the past three years, more than 8 million tons of supported fertilizers were distributed through cooperative associations, the public, and the Egyptian Agricultural Bank, with support exceeding LE 40 billion.
National programs and projects were implemented to support small farmers and breeders, such as the National Cattle Project with LE 8 billion, benefiting around 43,000 beneficiaries and a total of 500,000 heads of cattle.
The ministry implemented free veterinary convoys to treat cattle in around 3,680 veterinary convoys in all Egyptian villages, providing treatment for over 2.3 million heads. Additionally, 281 dairy collection centers were developed within 826 centers, and 41 new centers were established under the Presidential Initiative "Decent Life."
Improving Per-feddan Productivity
In the context of improving per-acre productivity, 60 varieties and hybrids were developed in the last three years alone for crops such as wheat, barley, maize, rice, local beans, oil crops, and fodder crops to enhance per-acre productivity.
The percentage of approved wheat seeds increased from 40 percent in previous years to 70 percent, rising for the first time to 100 percent in the last season (2023/2024). Around 250,000 tons of approved seeds were produced, and there was an expansion in the production of approved seeds for rice and maize. Additionally, for the first time, there was an expansion in the production of approved seeds for soybeans, sunflowers, and other crops.
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