Since ancient times, Egyptians have been closely connected with River Nile. They considered it the originator of life on their land. On the banks of the great River Nile, the Egyptians discovered agriculture, leaned how to grow plants and domesticate animals. They had successfully established one of the oldest civilizations ever known in history. Egypt and its civilization are correlated with agriculture.

 

The ancient Egyptians invented the agriculture and irrigation devices. They were especially concerned with depicting scenes of agriculture processes, including ploughing, irrigation, harvest and storage on the walls of their temples and devised a farming calendar. So, Egypt was the first country where crops were planted at scheduled dates.

 

Pharaohs were the first to control the Nile course and enclosed it with tow embankments. They had the oldest school of history; they established rules for basin irrigation on accurate engineering bases. In addition, they built dams, dug canals and irrigation nets to distribute and store water. They also established Nile meters to measure the River Nile water level and accordingly taxes, using accurate mathematical rules. Thanks to their agricultural activities, ancient Egyptian made great progress in astronomy, arithmetic, statistics and survey.

 

Ancient Egyptian managed to produce several crops and plants such as wheat, barley, lentils, beans and lupine in addition to vegetables and fruits, They also extracted sesame and castor oils. They knew to cultivate linen and turned its fibers into many kinds of textiles. They also used papyrus in paper industry. So, agriculture was the source of welfare and prosperity in ancient Egypt.

 

Agricultural activity constituted a pillar of civilization and economy over successive historical eras. In the Ptolemic era, the area of cultivated land was expanded and cultivated crops were diversified. Ptolemic kings paid attention to irrigation affairs, regulated water usage, dug canal and water courses, built bridges and drilled wells in deserts.

 

In the Islamic era, Egypt's progress in the field of agriculture and irrigation was sustained. Large canal were dug, embankments, barrages and Nilometers were established and more lands were reclaimed.

 

In the Ottoman era and during the 19^th Century, Egypt witnessed a revolution in the field of agriculture and irrigation. Many major irrigation projects such as rayahat (brabches), canals, barrages and dams were built. This resulted in providing necessary water supply to convert a large part of agricultural lands from basin to perennial irrigation system, thus allowing larger areas to be cultivated. Major projects established were al-Khayriya Barrages in 1861, and el-Baheri, Taofeqi and Menofi branches and hundreds of canals were dug. In 1902, the Aswan Reservior was established and later hightened twice. As a result of implementing these projects, the area of cultivated land increased from about 2 million feddans in 1813 to about 5 million feddans in 1952.

 

Since July 1952 Revolution, a number of mega irrigation projects were established, starting with the High Dam. It's a turning point in the history of Egyptian agriculture and breakthrough of modern Egyptian industry. Since the start of storage in the high Dam lake in 1964, that giant project has succeeded in achieving Egypt's water security. Total generated power from the High Dam was about 265 billion kw/h over the period from 1970 to 2004.

 

The marsh of work and achievement has proceeded in accelerating steps throughout the past two decades, starting with the implementation of El Sheikh Zayed canal project and the giant lifting station “Mubarak”, in 1997, to add 540.000 feddans to the agricultural lands. In addition to A'salam canal project to add 620. 000 feddans to the agricultural lands. Thus, the area of the agricultural land was increased by 2.2 million feddans during that period.

 

The agricultural sector is one of the major sectors enhancing the Egyptian national economy. Although its contribution to the GNP is of lesser importance, the agricultural production value increased to about LE 83 billion in 2004 against LE 6.4 billion in 1982. The agricultural income rose from LE 4.4 billion to about LE 60 billion over the same period.

 

The agricultural sector is responsible for achieving food security and meeting local needs in food commodities, and is a main source of providing raw materials for many transformable industries in Egypt. It absorbs about 27.8 percent of total Egyptian labour force, as the number of workers showed about 5,310.000.

 

Due to the economic importance of such vital sector, investments allocated to agriculture has speedily increased over the past two decades. The volume  of implemented investments rose from LE 393 million in 1982 to about LE 9 million in 2004/05. Total investments of that period exceeded LE 90 billion.

 

Gross agricultural product has achieved about LE 73.1 billion in 2004/05 of which LE 275.1 million by the public sector and LE 72.8 billion by the private sector at a rate of 99.6 percent of GAP of this year.

 

Crop composition in Egypt depends on a number of agricultural crops cultivated in 3 agricultural seasons (winter, summer and Nile), in addition to durable or seasonal crops which are cultivated for a whole year or several years such as sugar cane, fruits and timbre trees.

 

There are six major crops that cover 80 percent of the crops area: wheat, corn, cotton, rice, beans and clover. Horticulture crops comprise both fruits and vegetables.

 

Plant quantitative production in Egypt achieved a tangible progress, particularly during the past two decades, hence reflecting the success of vertical development projects in increasing the crop area from about 10.3 million feddans in 1960 to about 11.2 million in 1982 and to 16 million in 2004.

 

That increase raised the plant quantitative production. Over the period (1982-2004) the production of grains rose from 8 million tons to 18 million tons, of vegetables from 8 million tons to 18 million tons and of fruits from 2.6 million tons to 10 million tons. The plant production value rose from LE 4.1 billion in 1981 to about LE 55 billion in 2004.

In 2004/05 Egypt ranked first in the world in the feddan productivity of rice, sugar cane and Nile guinea corn and ranked second in peanut productivity, and seventh in beet-root.

 

In 2004/05 the quantitative production of wheat reached about 734,700 feddans, of corn 632,200 tons, of peanut 156,000 tons, of sugar cane 147,900 tons, of beet-root 387,000 tons, of cotton 822,000 tons, of vegetables 191,890 tons and of fruits and dates 869,9 tons.

 

Animal production in Egypt is interactively connected with plant production, as there are no independent natural pastures in Egypt. It depends on the private sector in general and small farmers in particular.

Local production of red meat increased during the past two decades by 177 percent. As its quantitative production rose from 315,000 tons in 1982 to 560,000 tons in 2004. The quantitative production of poultry meat rose from 315,000 tons to 652,000 tons over the same period at a rate of more than 206 percent. The production of eggs has multiplied to reach 7 billion eggs in 2004 against 3.2 billion in 1982. Fresh milk production reached about 4 million tons against 1.9 million in 2004. Egypt has succeeded in achieving self-sufficiency in poultry meat, eggs and fresh milk and 75 percent of our needs of red meat.

 

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, in addition to fish plantation in rice fields and fish farming in floating cages.

Local fish production has achieved a huge rise over the past two decades, where it multiplied by 437 percent. The quantitative production rose from 200,000 tons in 1982 to 875,000 tons in 2004, achieving self-sufficiency by 100 percent.

 

Internal water areas represent a great opportunity for investment in fish production, as they reach 1,613,000 feddans. Area of north lakes is about 345,000 feddans, the internal lakes area is 129,000 feddans and the river Nile and its branches provide 178,000 feddans.

 

Despite the efforts exerted in vertical and horizontal agricultural development projects that led to the increase of agricultural growth rate from 2.6 percent in the 80s. to 3.6percent in 2004, the population increase raised by faster rates.

That led to decreasing the positive effects of agricultural development efforts and the appearance of food gap in a number of agricultural crops and products. The efforts exerted in agricultural development have succeeded in bridging that gap. The period (1981-2004) witnessed the rise of self-sufficiency rate in wheat from 25 to 55 percent, in sugar from 60 percent to 70 percent and in red meat from 65 percent to 75 percent. Self-sufficiency has been achieved by 100 percent in the production of vegetables, fruits, poultry, eggs, fresh milk and fish.

 

Agricultural exports are a promising means of developing the Egyptian national income. They actually succeeded in achieving constant growth, where their value rose from LE 471 million in 1982 to a bout LE 5.8 billion in 2004/05, as a result of developing agricultural production and the application of organic agriculture system especially in new lands.

 

Agricultural area forms 3.5% of Egypt's lands. Egypt is characterized by fertile agricultural lands thanks to the River Nile. The Nile Valley and Delta lands form 4% of Egypt's total area, 75% of which are fertile lands.

Hence, the agricultural activity is centered around the river banks and in Delta.

 

Egypt has gone through a long experience in land reclamation to overcome the limited agricultural lands and succeeded in stepping out of the narrow valley to the vast desert lands, and added new reclaimed lands to the agricultural area. It increased from 5,800,000 feddans in the 80s of the past century to 8,200,000 feddans at the end of 2004, by 2,400,000 feddans increase, and at an annual rate exceeding 90,000 feddans.

 

The year 2004/2005 has witnessed the implementation of infrastructure works over an area of 150,500 feddans, of which 64,000 feddans undertaken by the public sector at a rate of 42.5%, and 86,500 feddans by the private sector at a rate of 57.5%.

In the field of internal reclamation works, 132,500 feddans were reclaimed, of which 17.500 and about 86.8% by the private sector. Hence, reflecting the increasing role of the private sector in achieving agricultural horizontal development.

 

Egypt embarked upon an ambitious plan to add about 3,200,000 feddans of reclaimed agricultural lands over the period (1997 – 2017), through implementing a number of giant agricultural projects in south of the Valley, Sinai and Western Desert. The Private sector plays a major role in implementing these projects due to the attracting investment atmosphere provided by the state, without restriction, for the Egyptian private, Arab and foreign sectors.

It is noted that Egypt didn't implement such giant agricultural projects, except after eliminating all the hindrances before the agricultural sector and tending towards free economy since the 90s.

 

Salient of such measures: liberalizing crop composition, abolishing compulsory delivery of all the agricultural crops, and liberalizing their prices, abolishing restrictions on the private sector in producing, distributing and importing requirements of agricultural production, as well as in exporting and importing food commodities, decreasing customs duties on reclamation and irrigation equipments, decreasing the price of uncultivated feddan from LE 50 to LE 200, exempting new lands from taxes for ten years starting from date of their irrigation, allowing ownership of lands in Sinai and limiting the state ownership of agricultural lands.

 

Within a free agricultural economy, the private sector has become the owner of agricultural lands. The role of the state was limited to contributing to infrastructure works, scientific studies, providing agricultural services such as guidance, direction, drawing indicative planning of crop compostion and offering credit facilities necessary for the reclamation process.

 

They cover all the country to achieve balanced development among Egypt's regions. At the south of the Valley, Toshka project started on January 9th 1997, to create a new Delta at south of the western Desert parallel to the Nile. It adds 540,000 feddans to the agricultural area irrigated by the Nile water through El Sheikh Zayed Canal. The project cost is LE 5.5 billion. The rate of implemented works is 85 % till 2004/2005. Water was lanuched in the canal for the first time in 2003, to start the cultivation of 54,000 feddans of the first stage lands, depending on organic cultivation technique. The agricultural production has achieved promising results, and some crops were exported to the European market. A special Logo has been drawn set for Toshka agricultural products.

 

In the south, there is also "Shark Al A'waynat' Project, at the western south of the Western Desert. Its implementation started in 1997, and adds 255,000 feddans to the agricultural area fully irrigated by subterranean water. The cultivated area reached 47,500 feddans till 2004, a big part of which was cultivated by organic agriculture method. It succeeded in producing good crops, big part of which is exported.

 

Another project in the Western Desert is "Darb Al A'rba'een". It adds 12,000 feddans to the agricultural lands irrigated by subterranean water, and depends on organic agriculture technique.

In the eastern north, there is " Al Salam Canal" project that supplied Sinai with the Nile water for the first time. It adds 620,000 feddans to the agricultural area. It is divided into 220,000 feddans west of the canal, and 400,000 east of the canal in Sinai.

 

It is irrigated by the Nile water after mixingit with the agricultural drainage water at a percent of 1:1. It is 262 kms. long. Till 2004/2005, 165,000 feddans of the west canal lands were cultivated, and the cultivation of 115,000 feddans in Al Tina plain and 158,000 feddans in Raba'a and Beer Al A'bd regions east of  the canal, started for exportation, taking into consideration the expansion in organic agriculture methods.

 

The Agricultural Researches Centre is the biggest scientific edifice in the field of agriculture. It comprises 16 specialized institutes working in agricultural and biological researches, genetic engineering, bio-technology and food industries. 10 central laboratories, 19 stations for experiments and field researches and 23 experiements administrations covering all Egypt's governorates, are affiliated to this centre.

 

The activity of the Acquatic Researches Centre affiliated to the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources is the pillar of the water resources development projects. Faculties and institutes of agriculture and veterinary medicine participate in covering the requirements of scientific research.

 

Volume of current water resources of Egypt is about 69.7 billion m3 covering the present requirements.

The River Nile forms 95 percent of these resources, so, it is the source of life for the the Egyptians. Agriculture in Egypt depends on irrigation by the River Nile, and consumes 85 percent of total resources.

 

Rain water represents a small percentage of Egypt's water resources. The sole region depending on rain in agriculture is the northern coast at 15 kms. deep and its production is limited. Subterrranean water is the main resource of agriculture in desert areas. 2.9 billion m3 of subterranean water is being used annually.

Production of crops in Egypt depends on irrigated cultuvation which is 84.5% of total agricultural lands, durable agriculture is 12.9 percent, and rainy agricultural is 2.6 percent.

 

It occupies about 13 percent of the agricultural lands area. Total length of canals is 32,200kms and of drains is 21,500 kms.

Surface irrigation is the most popular method in Egypt and is used in about 82 percent of the agricultural lands, sprinklers irrigation in 10 percent and spray irrigation in 8 percent .

Total investments implemented in the irrigation sector over the period (81/82 – 2004/2005) reached LE 30.6 billion, of which LE 2.2 billion are of the last year investments.

 

The year 2004/2005 has witnessed the implementation of infrastructure in 70,000 feddans, within the irrigation programmes of horizontal expansion projects. Value of the implemented works totalled about LE 442.8 million. Works of irrigation development were finished in the old lands over on area of 40,000 feddans , and 800 associations of water users were for med aiming at extending the role of the private sector in organizing the irrigation works on their lands.