World Grain - November 2024 - 54

FEATURE: EGYPT AIMING FOR SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN WHEAT
8.3% of global wheat imports that year.
However, the Egyptian government is not banking
on imports to meet the elastic wheat demand. It
is proceeding with its agenda of ramping up wheat
production, improving terms of procuring the produced
wheat from farmers, expanding wheat storage
capacity, and deploying modern irrigation systems in
reclaimed and old wheat growing regions.
Furthermore, the North Africa country hopes to reduce
post-harvest losses estimated at nearly 21%, or
4.4 million tonnes, in the medium term from both the
local and imported wheat by focusing on efficiency
in crop growth as well as practices during the marketing
and storage operations.
At the production level, Egypt has not only increased
wheat acreage by bringing in new lands, but
it also has enhanced yields through use of modern innovative
irrigation systems. In fact, Egypt has been
investing in the Mechanized Raised-Bed Irrigation
(MRBI) technology to achieve its short- to long-term
wheat production volumes and quality.
The technology " is adapted to dryland conditions
and improves water use efficiency, improving farmers'
livelihoods through increased farm productivity
with fewer inputs, " according to the International
Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
(ICARDA).
The use of this technology is critical in Egypt's
mission to improve wheat yields per hectare in the
country's overall plan to boost production to 11.5
million tonnes by 2025, according to a report by the
African Development Bank (AfDB).
Egypt's Agricultural Research Center (ARC) has
been " promoting more raised-bed cultivation of
wheat using early maturing and high-yielding varieties,
as well as increasing the number of certified
seeds distributed to farmers, " according to the
USDA's September 2024 report.
The raised-bed wheat plantings are gaining traction in
Egypt because of their potential to increase grain yield by
30% as well as increasing water-use efficiency by 75%.
54
The technology also has been lauded for its potential
to save up to 25% of irrigation water and reduce seed
requirements by up to 15%.
Elsewhere, the government has partnered with
research and development agencies to spearhead
wheat breeding programs to develop high-yielding
varieties that can tolerate harsh climatic conditions
such as those in Egypt.
It is through these wheat breeding programs that
Egypt anticipates increasing its wheat yield to more
than 7 tonnes per hectare.
" Wheat production in Egypt has improved through
the development of new breeding and cultivation
practices, which have led to the spread of new highyielding
varieties, " the USDA report said.
Financing plan
Egypt also has enhanced government-driven financing
schemes for the benefit of wheat farmers. This includes
the offer of a higher price for wheat that is procured by
the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC),
a government agency implementing wheat tenders for the
country's bread subsidy program.
For instance, the government allocated $601 million
in 2022 for the GASC and Agricultural Bank of Egypt
to finance the procurement of wheat from farmers. In
2024, the government procured 3.6 million tonnes,
with 3.43 million tonnes allocated to wheat millers,
120,000 tonnes for seeds and 50,000 for durum wheat.
In November 2023, the government announced
a guaranteed procurement price of $219.75 for every
150 kilograms. This price would be guaranteed
only if the wheat growers sold 60% of their output to
the government.
" High government procurement prices have also encouraged
farmers to plant more wheat, " the USDA said.
The prospect of Egypt achieving higher wheat production
shifts the focus to the country's key wheat trade
partners such as Russia, Ukraine and Romania, which
combined to sell an estimated 12.5 million tonnes to
the North African country in 2023.
November 2024 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
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World Grain - November 2024

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