Egypt plans to cultivate 3.5 million acres of wheat

On Sunday, Egypt’s Minister of Planning, Hala Al-Saeed, outlined an ambitious plan to expand the country’s agricultural sector for the fiscal year 2024-2025. She announced that Egypt aims to cultivate 3.5 million acres of wheat, which represents an increase from the 3.2 million acres planted in the current fiscal year, 2023-2024. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to enhance agricultural productivity and strengthen food security across the nation.

Minister Al-Saeed also detailed the government’s efforts to significantly boost the storage capacity of grain silos. The target is to expand storage capacities to hold 5.2 million tons of grain, up from about 3.9 million tons in the fiscal year 2022-2023. This increase in storage capacity is intended to better accommodate the country’s grain reserves and ensure stability in supply. Notably, Egypt’s fiscal year begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th, providing a structured timeline for these enhancements.

In addition to expanding wheat cultivation, Egypt plans to increase the acreage of other strategic crops. The minister highlighted that the country aims to cultivate 2.8 million acres of corn and 220,000 acres of fava beans. The heightened productivity of these crops is expected to reduce the food gap and decrease dependence on agricultural imports, thereby improving Egypt’s food self-sufficiency and economic resilience.

Moreover, Minister Al-Saeed revealed a broader goal to add approximately 750,000 agricultural acres during the fiscal year 2024-2025. This expansion will bring the total agricultural area to about 10.7 million acres. She emphasized that these efforts are part of a comprehensive plan to boost the agricultural sector, ensuring it meets the increasing demands of the population and contributes to national economic stability.

Tags: Egypt, corn, wheat, food security, silos, agricultural sector, cultivate, fava beans