Related Post
Egyptian parliamentarians criticized the Minister of Agriculture’s decision to ban the cultivation of rice in some governorates, warning that the decision would harm agricultural soil in these governorates, given that rice contributes to reducing soil salinity. They also criticized the lack of a database on the quality of soil in the governorates and the distribution of water in them.
The Egyptian Minister of Irrigation, Hani Sweilem, recently approved tightening the penalties for rice cultivation in several governorates, under the pretext of their severe negative impact on the process of water management and distribution in those governorates, citing as evidence the Fayoum and Beni Suef governorates, which are located south of Cairo.
Parliamentarian Adel Amer said in a briefing request that “the decision to grow rice in rotation is a regulatory decision, but there must be a detailed rule regarding the lands and the nature of the soil, especially since there are lands that suffer from high salinity and therefore will only be suitable for growing rice, and they do not achieve a profit margin.” If it is grown with any other crops.
Amer – who is also a member of the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee – called for the speedy completion of the database on agricultural soil, identifying lands with high salinity and excluding them from the decision to grow rice, or providing alternative crops “so that no reports are issued to farmers as a result of their non-compliance with the decision, when in fact they are… They want a crop that suits the nature of the soil, and there is only rice.”
Observers believe that the decision is influenced by concerns about water scarcity in Egypt, as Ethiopia moves forward with implementing phases AlNahda dam And its effects on share Egypt From the Nile River, but on the other hand, it does not take into account its repercussions on consumers in light of increasing prices.
Abundant production and high prices
The price of rice is likely to rise as a result of its scarcity in the markets, according to a food commodities trader who spoke to Al Jazeera Net, refusing to give his name, indicating that the reason is due to decisions to ban its cultivation, export good quality rice abroad, and import lower-quality alternatives.
The price of a kilo of rice to the consumer currently amounts to 30 pounds (one dollar), and the price varies according to its type and quality.
According to official reports, more than 1,600,000 feddans are grown in rice, exceeding the limit allowed by the government, which set 1,200,000 feddans, mostly in the northern Delta, and banned the cultivation of rice in Upper Egypt, the New Valley, Fayoum, North and South Sinai, and Suez, as well as the Greater Cairo governorates. And Menoufia in Lower Egypt.
Egypt produces about 6 million tons of barley, giving 6 to 4 million tons of white rice, while consumption exceeds about 4 million tons, with a surplus of about 600 thousand tons for export.
The government imposed financial fines on those who violate the limit it set for rice cultivation, and the increase in rice cultivated areas by about 400,000 acres indicates that thousands of farmers ignored this decision during the current season, ignoring the fines and penalties.
In his interview with Al Jazeera Net, Awad – a rice farmer in Qalyubia (north of Cairo), who preferred to mention only his first name – justifies his insistence on growing rice with “a production density per acre of more than 3.5 tons, and with a profit that exceeds the costs of agriculture.”
Mustafa – a farmer and merchant from Menoufia Governorate, north of Qalyubia, who preferred to mention only his first name – expressed in his interview with Al Jazeera Net his deliberate disregard for the threats of government sanctions, adding to the previous tempting reasons for growing rice the ease of storing it, which means the possibility of achieving greater gains in the future. In light of the expected floatation of the pound, which will double the gains and cover the costs and fines together, in addition to reasonable profits.
According to the spokesman, he is forced to store the crop in order to be able to pay the heavy fines.
The price of a ton of rice rose during the past three years from 3,000 pounds ($100) to 7,000 ($230), then to more than 18,000 ($600).
Benefits and harms
In turn, the head of the Rice Division at the Federation of Chambers, Rajab Shehata, expects an increase in the demand for rice cultivation in Egypt during the coming years in light of the production of new strains that consume less water and reduce the cultivation period from 210 to 120 days only, and achieve profits for farmers due to the high price per ton, in addition to its positive aspects. On high-salinity agricultural lands, especially in the northern Delta.
Shehata attributed the rise in prices despite the abundance of production to a number of reasons, including the lack of supply in the local market as a result of some people storing it to achieve greater profits, as well as the high cost of production, like other crops whose prices have witnessed an escalation, with the increases in rice consumption rates.
However, Shehata considers 28 pounds per kilo of rice to be a low price compared to most agricultural crops, according to his estimation. In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, he denied that merchants or farmers alone were responsible for the increase in prices, as “the matter depends on the rules of supply and demand as well.”
For his part, the head of the Farmers Syndicate, Hussein Abu Saddam, attributed farmers’ violation of state instructions banning rice cultivation in several governorates to the good prices achieved by his farmers, especially in the past two years.
Abu Saddam demanded that the ban on rice cultivation be lifted, considering that he is innocent of the charge of wasting water, especially since the new breeds do not consume large amounts of water. “In addition, the expansion of rice cultivation makes us able to meet local consumption, expand exports, and achieve a good foreign currency harvest.” “Rice has positive effects in reducing land salinity, especially in the northern Delta.”
He believed that international developments affecting Egypt played a role in increasing prices, with increasing demand, in addition to the involvement of merchants in smuggling large quantities of rice abroad.
Abu Saddam denied any responsibility for the farmers for the crisis of high rice prices in light of their accusation of hoarding it and not handing it over to the competent authorities. He said in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that the farmer is the weakest link in the equation despite the great improvement that has occurred in prices and the price of a ton has reached 19 thousand pounds.
In addition to this, there is another unspoken reason, which is the government’s leniency towards violators due to its need for rice on the one hand, and its desire to pass the presidential elections that recently ended on the other hand, according to observers.
In turn, the head of the rice research department at the Basyouni Agricultural Research Center, Zayed, stressed the necessity of expanding rice cultivation, due to its high productivity depending on agricultural drainage, without wasting water as was the case with rice previously, and it is also the only crop capable of absorbing heavy elements, which makes it safe according to To sanitary standards, with possible soil stress.
Zayed considered that had it not been for the cultivation of rice in the northern Delta, thousands of acres would have been exposed to drought, accusing the phenomenon of storage of causing an increase in its prices and not for any other reasons.
He pointed out that rice cultivation in Egypt has achieved booms recently, as the productivity of new varieties is approaching the limit of 4 tons per acre, stressing in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that it consumes less water and is grown in a short period of time, in a way that reveals a promising season for this strategic crop, in light of High production rates reaching 6 million tons per year.
