“Yellow gold” harvest season kicks off in Egypt

Egyptian different governorates and villages have begun the wheat harvest season, also known as “yellow gold”, which is considered one of the most important food crops in the world.

The Egyptian Cabinet affirmed the state’s efforts to boost local wheat production and secure strategic reserves. This is achieved through agricultural expansion and storage projects, and by providing all the support and assistance farmers need.

These governmental efforts are part of an integrated vision to achieve food security and enhance self-sufficiency in strategic commodities. The efforts are implemented through national projects to expand agricultural land and increase crop productivity.

The aim is to develop the storage system by establishing modern silos that help reduce waste and ensure crop quality, thus supporting the supply system and contributing to the stability of the local market.

The wheat’s origins date back to ancient civilizations such as the Egyptian civilization, the Mesopotamian civilization, and the Babylonian civilization.

The ancient Egyptians offered the fruits of their crops to the deities they worshipped.

A motif found in the tomb of King Menes in the Valley of the Kings, dating back to the 15th century BC, depicts a farmer offering his crops in the form of a wheat effigy.

This image was also passed on to Christianity, which considered wheat to represent goodness, love, and prosperity. Artists therefore used it in decorative themes. The Romans considered wheat to be the flowers of the goddess Hera, and in particular of the goddess Demesne, goddess of fertile soil and growth.

Head of the Wheat Research Department at the Agricultural Research Center, Dr. Badri Ragab, stated that most studies indicate that the original homeland of today’s cultivated wheat is the Middle and Near East, based on the fact that two-grain wheat resembles wild species that are widespread in the current time.

He emphasized that soft bread wheat originated in Central Asia and the Near East, while durum wheat originated in Ethiopia. He also asserted that wheat cultivation dates back to the Stone Age, 7,000 years ago (BC). Some theories suggest that wheat cultivation first appeared in the lands of Hebron at the end of the Ice Age 1,900 years ago (BC), and then spread to the Stone Age.

He added that the Middle East was the ancestral center of wheat, which then spread to the western Mediterranean basin, the southern Soviet Union, and the Near East. Roman civilization also contributed significantly to the spread of wheat in the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe.

He stressed that the first signs of wheat cultivation appeared in the Fertile Crescent region around 9000 years BC.

Tags: durum, strategic reserves, Egypt, harvest, Production, wheat, food security