Egypt State Information Service

On the banks of the Nile, Egyptians discovered agriculture and invented agricultural and irrigational machines. They cared also about inscribing the agricultural process; ploughing, harvesting, and storage, on the walls of their temples. Moreover, they set the basis of agricultural calendar and so Egypt was the first to set a temporal schedule for agriculture.

Agricultural activity constituted a pillar of civilization and economy over ages; in the Ptolemaic era, the cultivated area expanded, and planted crops diversified. In addition, kings cared about the affairs of irrigation, digging canals, extending bridges, and digging wells in the deserts.

The Islamic era witnessed digging big canals, erecting bridges, establishing barrages and nilometers, and reclaiming lands. In the Ottoman era, over the 19th Century, Egypt witnessed a revolution in agriculture and irrigation.

Several mega irrigation projects such as rayahat (branches), canals, barrages, and reservoirs were built, thus the needed water was provided, a big part of the agricultural lands transformed to the permanent irrigation system and the area of cultivated land increased. Salient project of this period was the establishment of Khayriyia Barrage, 1861, digging al-Beheri, al-Tawfiqi and al-Menoufi branches, as well as hundreds of canals. In 1902, the Aswan Reservoir was built and enlarged twice, and Esna Barrage was established.

As the July 1952 Revolution broke out, Egypt stepped towards a number of mega irrigation project, starting with the High Dam; the greatest engineering and constructional projects that took place in Egypt over the last century. It is a turning point in the history of the Egyptian agriculture and a breakthrough for modern Egyptian industry. Since the start of water storage in the High Dam Lake in 1964, that giant project has succeeded in achieving Egypt's water security. Thus, it contributed to expanding projects of agricultural development from 5.2 million feddans in the 1950s to 5.8 million feddans in the 1970s.

The march of agricultural development proceeded so that the annual average of agricultural growth rose from 2.6% in the 1980s to 3.4% in the 1990s to reach 3.6% in 2006/07. Moreover, the area of agricultural lands rose to 2.3 million feddans during this period, thus, Egypt broke through towards projects of huge agricultural expansion that contribute to the addition of 1.4 million feddans, thus increasing the inhabited area from 5.5% to 25% of Egypt's area. Furthermore, this redrew the demographic map after creating new urban communities, in the depths of the Egyptian desert, that represent population-attraction regions due to the new job opportunities they provide.

The agriculture sector contributes to GDP at about 13.4%. In 2006/07, the agricultural product value (at current prices) reached about LE 90.1 billion, the agricultural production value reached about LE 116 billion, while the value of agricultural exports reached about US Dollar 900 million.

The agricultural activity contributes to sustaining about 55% of the Egyptian citizens; about 5.5 million workers work in that sector representing about 27% of the total labour force, and their wages during 2006/07 reached about LE 8.978 million. The agriculture sector is deemed the first responsible body for realizing food security for citizens.

It succeeded in minimizing the food gap, thus realizing complete self-sufficiency at a rate of 75% of meat, 70% of sugar, and 85% of wheat. The sector has a major role in providing needed services for a number of essential industries on top of which are spinning and weaving, and food industries.

Over the period (1981/82-2006/07), efforts of agricultural development succeeded in adding an area of 2.4 million newly reclaimed feddans, so the total area of the cultivated land reached about 8.6 million feddans.

The agricultural sector succeeded in realizing increasing rates in the production of several agricultural crops and occupying lead positions worldwide in the production of a number of strategic crops of which:

*Rice ranked as the highest in productivity worldwide; productivity reached 4.2 tons/feddan.

* Egypt ranked first in producing sugarcane, with average production of 51.4 tons/feddan.

* Egypt ranked second in the production of maize; average productivity reached 25.5 ardeb/feddan.

* Egypt ranked fourth in the production of wheat; average productivity reached 19.25 ardeb/feddan.

Animal production activity in Egypt depends on the private sector. Small farmers are mainly responsible for producing a big part of the animal production for the non-existence of natural pastures in Egypt.

Animal quantitative production has achieved a continuous growth which cov-ered the food gap provided a surplus in milk, eggs and poultry meat (this was before the incoming of bird flu). Moreover, about 75% of red meat have been provided.

The year 2006/07 has witnessed the production of about 795,000 tons of red meat and about 800,000 tons of poultry meat, 330,000 tons of eggs and 4.47 million tons of milk.

Egypt, like many countries in the world, was affected by bird flu. The Egyptian government has succeeded in containing this crisis and, limiting its effects.

A national plan was started to eradicate bird flu within a period of 3-5 years. The plan focused on four pivots. The most important of which are developing the current farms, raising the awareness of breeders, establishing a number of abattoirs to slaughter 2 million hens daily, so as to forbid the circulation of live birds and slaughtering outside the abattoirs. In addition to boosting General Authority for Veterinary Services, developing the diagnosis labs and producing vaccines, providing about 150 million vaccination doses for birds annually and amending the laws relevant to organizing work in farms.

Egypt has varied natural sources of fish production. There are natural fisheries including the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, lakes, the Nile course, canals and drains. Internal water areas represent a great opportunity for investment in fish production, as they reach 1,613,000 feddans. The River Nile and its branches provide 178,000 feddans. Over the past two decades, fish production realized a huge leap; it doubled at a rate of 437%, so fish production increased from about 210,000 tons to reach about 1 million tons in 2006/07. Still there is an opportunity to achieve a leap in fish production to cover domestic needs and provide surplus of exports.

Egypt began a long-term plan (1997-2017) to add about 3.4 million feddans of reclaimed lands to the agricultural lands. Actually, efforts of horizontal agricultural development over 1981-2007 have succeeded in adding about 2.4 million feddans at a rate of annual increase of 96 feddans/year. And in the framework of the agricultural plan till 2017, Egypt implements a chain of mega agricultural projects that would spread and cover the country at large.

This period has witnessed implementing infrastructure works in about 3.1 mil-lion feddans, as well as internal reclamation in about 2.9 million feddans. Moreover, the private sector has played a pivotal role in the horizontal development projects during the fifth five-year plan (2002/2007). It contributes in the implementation of the infrastructure works in 800,000 feddans at rate of 72.7% of the total implemented works. The private sector also has implemented the internal reclamation works in 840,000 feddans at a rate of the total implemented works.

Toshka project contributes to adding 540 thousand feddans to the agricultural area, thus contributing to founding new integrated urban communities that absorb tens of thousands of citizens in agricultural and industrial communities. Toshka foundation stone was laid on January 9, 1997, and it includes digging a major canal at a length of 51 km and a number of branches at a length of 180 km. The water of the River Nile is being pumped from Lake Nasser to the Canal and its branches through 'Mubarak' giant lifting station. The volume of expenditure till 2005/06 reached about LE 5.9 billion, the percentage of implemented works reached 88.5%, and water has been launched to cultivate about 54 thousand feddans as a first phase of the project. In 2006/07, it was targeted to implement works at about LE 146.2 million.

Agricultural production in Toshka relies on organic cultivation and this produc-tion finds increasing demand in the European markets. Salient cultivated crops are grapes, citrus fruits, beans, tomato, cucumber, cantaloupe. Productivity of wheat feddans in the project reached 12-14 ardeb/feddan yearly, 12 thousand feddans of the project lands are being cultivated, and an area of 60 thousand feddans was cultivated. The rest of the area is to be cultivated by 2012 at a rate of 50-60 thousand feddans/year.

For the first time, water was pumped to Sinai via as-Salam Canal; thus spreading growth over an area of 400 thousand feddans east of the Canal in addition to 220 thousand feddans west of the Canal. As-Salam Canal and its branches extend at a length of 262 km. The Canal is divided into two phases; phase I includes the extension of the Canal at a length of 87 km from the River Nile till the Suez Canal at Kilo # 219; serving 220 thousand feddans of the newly reclaimed lands, west of the Canal.

As for phase II of the project, it includes as-Salam culvert under the Suez Canal so that the water of the Nile would reach Sinai to serve 400 thousand feddans of the reclaimed lands. This phase also includes extending a new canal; 'Sheikh Gaber Canal', at a length of 86.5 km with 8 branches so that the Canal and its branches would reach 175 km. Total investments implemented in phase I west of the Canal reach about LE 406 million, while the value of implemented works in phase II, east of the Canal, till 2005/06, reached about LE 3.380 million.

Up till now, about 180 thousand feddans of the project, west of the Canal, have been cultivated and on the land of Sinai, 115 thousand feddans have been cultivated in Sahl et-Tinah, and 158 thousand feddans in Be'r el-'Abd and Rab'a region. Agricultural production in these new lands is distinguished by using the method of organic agriculture. Salient crops that were successfully cultivated are wheat, barely, beet-root, vegetables, and fruits for export. This region is distinguished by its ability to expand in the cultivation of untraditional crops of medical plants.

East Owainat Project lies in the southern west of the Western Desert till it reaches a huge lake of subterranean water. Thus, the whole project is irrigated by subterranean water. The project aims at reclaiming about 255,000 feddans at investments that reach LE 3.5 billion. East Owainat region is deemed the biggest leveled region worldwide at a diameter of 350 km, and it does not need strenuous efforts for reclamation.

The project began in 1997, and till now about 49.5 thousand feddans have been cultivated. Agricultural production in some crops realized the highest productivity and salient crops that were successfully cultivated are wheat, barely, fruit, vegetables and medical and aromatic plants. A big part of the products was exported to the European markets.

Darb el-Arba'een lies in the Western Desert and contributes to adding 12 thou-sand feddans of new lands that are to be fully irrigated by subterranean water. The cultivation of lands is being done by using organic agriculture and methods of modern irrigation. The region of the project witnessed the establishment of new 16 villages, ownership contracts have been distributed to small beneficiaries, and salient crops that were successfully planted are olive, dates, fruits, vegetables, and aromatic plants.

The new village programme aims at establishing 400 new villages in the desert over 2006-11. Those villages provide the opportunity to reclaim a million feddans in the desert. Those areas would be divided into small, medium, and large areas of possession, and a number of 700 thousand feddans will be allocated. Allocations will be at a rate of 10 feddans representing small possessions for each family, and 300 thousand feddans for large possessions.

New villages would be encouraged to cultivate a major crop of the export crops in addition to focusing on organic cultivation and working on achieving cooperation among investors, investment companies, and owners of small possessed areas in processes of management, production and marketing.

As for reclamation works, soft loans will be provided for each kind of possession by Agriculture Development Bank. Furthermore, this project contributes to creating 420 thousand job opportunities at an average of 70 thousand job opportunities/year.

Egypt owns a huge wealth of scientific research institutions that work in the field of agriculture, thus providing a good atmosphere for scientific investment projects in this field. The Agriculture Research Center is deemed the hugest scientific edifice that works in agriculture, including 16 specialist institutions that work in the fields of agriculture, biology, genetics, biotechnology, and food processing. The Center is affiliated by 10 central laboratories, 19 stations for field researches and experimentation, and 23 experiment departments that cover all the governorates of Egypt.

In the field of irrigation, the activity of Aquatic Research Center, affiliated to the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, represents a fundamental pillar for water recourse development projects, in addition to the contributions of the faculties and institutions of agriculture and veterinary medicine to cover the needs of scientific research.

Increasing agricultural production and product, during the plan, at an annual growth rate of 3.9% and 4.3% successively, and a rate of 3.6% and 3.8% successively during the first year 2007/08 according to the following table (unit in LE billion)

Irrigation management in Egypt aims at providing water at suitable quantity and quality for each kind of the several needs. The Ministry shoulders the management of the Nile water, surface and subterranean water resources, in addition to planning, designing, establishing, managing and maintaining the irrigation and drainage system in Egypt. Moreover, the Ministry endeavours to develop water resources to meet the increasing needs, elevate the efficiency of water use, and maintain water drains clear from pollution. Cooperation and coordination among the states of the River Nile basin with the aim of increasing sources of fresh water rank second. The Ministry participates in implementing plans of national economy by providing necessary water to implement plans of reclaiming lands, urban extension, industrial expansion, tourist revival, and raising the standard of living.

The River Nile represents the major source of water in Egypt. It constitutes about 85% of the total available water resources. Egypt attains a fixed quota of the Nile water at an amount of 55.5 billion m3/year. Rain water represents only a small amount of our water resources at an amount of 1 billion m3/year in the Valley and the Delta. Subterranean water currently in use estimates at about 4.8 billion m3/year in the valley and the Delta, in addition to about 0.75 billion m3 in desert lands.

Water policies in Egypt succeeded in realizing water security despite the limited resources and the escalating demand and needs through recycling and treating water to be additional resources of which about 4.5 billion m3 are provided by agricultural drain network, about 6.5 billion m3 are provided by industrial drainage, and about 0.7 billion m3 are provided by treated water of sanitary drainage. Those figures are clarified in the following graph:

The Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources manages a huge complicated national irrigation network that extends at a distance of 1,200 km from Aswan till the Mediterranean. This network occupies about 13 percent of the agricultural land area. The Ministry works on providing farmers with needed water at the suitable time and in the needed quantities through 33.2 thousand km of general and sub-canals, about 80 thousand km of private water canals, and about 22.7 thousand km of the overt drain.

Surface irrigation is considered the most common in Egypt. It is being used in about 82% of the agricultural lands, while dripping irrigation is used in an area of 10%, and sprinkling irrigation is used in an area of 8% of the agricultural land.

Irrigation sector witnessed the implementation of several mega projects of irrigation development, developing water resources, national project programmes and horizontal expansion. Implemented investments since the early 1980s and till the end of 2005/06 reached about LE 33.208 billion. It is targeted to implement investments at a rate of LE 1.252 billion till 2006/07.

Programme	2005/06 Implemented	2006/07 Targeted
Programmes for preserving water resources	229.2	181.3
Programmes for enhancing water resources	121.2	91.5
National projects and horizontal expansion	318.2	337.9
Developing irrigation in old lands	170.0	56.1
Programmes of reservoirs and mega barrages	553.5	119.6
Programmes of developing public and covert drain	484.6	185.0
Programmes of protecting Egyptian beaches	44.3	28.0
Programmes of replacing and renovating lifting stations	346.5	157.3
Programmes of studies and researches	29.9	17.0
Programmes of preserving the safety and efficiency of the High Dam and Aswan Reservoir	46.2	56.0
Programmes of modernizing and maps and survey services and works of in kind records	7.9	7.1
Programme of training and boosting human energies and water media	18.9	15.1
Total investment plan	2370.4	1251.9
Programme of purifying and maintaining water courses	269.8	423.8