Explainer: Egypt's central bank unchanged interest rates decision and why    Egypt hopes to reach IMF deal within one month or two: minister    Egypt is exploring affordable loans from China, Japan – minister    Apple's iPhone 14 is the easiest to fix since 2016    Apple to hike App Store prices in Egypt and other countries in Asia, Europe    Dior new pre-fall men collection to take place for the first time in Egypt    Putin: Turkey to pay 25% of Russian gas in rubles    Kazakhstan's President awards Egypt's Azhar imam Astana International Prize    UK economy turmoil follows Queen Elizabeth's death    Three possible scenarios as Egypt's central bank governor resigns – MP    Adele is living a love story, wants to be a homemaker    In Photos: Egypt swears in 13 new ministers after major Cabinet reshuffle    Egypt's Sisi names 13 ministers in Cabinet reshuffle    Spain: prosecutor seeks 8 years sentence for Shakira over tax evasion    Egypt: Alamein Art Festival kicks off a collection of recycled installations    John Legend enjoys family trip in Egypt    Egypt's athlete Basma Emad wins bronze in weightlifting in Mediterranean Games    Noura Al-Mutair – first Gulf female boxer in World Championships    Maha karara joins AAIB as Head of Corporate Communications, Sustainability    Egypt works on charting cooperation strategies with international institutions for 5 years: Al-Mashat    Over 2.4 million newborns examined for hearing impairment: Health Ministry    Netflix releases trailer of Arab adaption of 'Perfect Strangers' film    Balqees to headline concert celebrating launch of streaming giant LIVENow in MENA    Sawsan Badr to be honoured at Aswan Women Film Festival    MP Abdel Hady Al-Qasby calls government to facilitate and support NGOs    Al-Sisi follows up on 'Great Transfiguration Project' in St. Catherine    Cairo, London stress need to strengthen cooperation to face climate change    Foreigners account for 22.6% of Egypt's T-bills issuances in 1H 2021: CBE    Egypt's ambassador to Italy passes away    Egypt confirms readiness to help African countries face terrorism and extremism    An estimated 235 million people needed humanitarian assistance and protection in 2021, an increase of 40% compared to 2020: IOM Egypt    Egypt, DRC discuss water cooperation during WYF    Egypt, DR Congo discuss boosting bilateral cooperation during WYF    Cameroonian police probe assault on three Algerian journalists covering AFCON    Pharaohs start AFCON 2021 campaign with fierce clash against Nigeria    Foreign Ministry opens capacity building course for French-speaking African diplomats    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Morocco's cereal sown areas surge amid more rain
Planting area grew by 62 per cent to 3.7 million hectares, but only 53 per cent of 2010's domestic yield made it to Morocco's market
Reuters Published in Ahram Online on 20 - 01 - 2011

Morocco's cereal-planted areas were 62 per cent above their level a year earlier in mid-December, while the amount of rainfall surged by almost as much, the central bank said.
Cereal-planted areas reached 3.7 million hectares against 2.3 million hectares the previous year, Bank al-Maghrib said in a report. The amount of rainfall by mid-December was 57 per cent above its level a year earlier, the bank added.
Seeds sales rose by just 2.4 per cent to 104,300 tonnes, however, while Moroccan farmers increased their fertilizer purchases by 27 per cent up to the same date, the bank said.
Morocco's cereal farming season starts in September and ends in June the following year.
The world's tenth-biggest wheat importer, Morocco saw its harvest last year cut by bad weather to 7.46 million tonnes from a record 10.2 million tonnes the year before. The latest harvest included 3.2 million tonnes of soft wheat against 4.3 million tonnes the previous year.
Since the vast majority of wheat-planted areas are small properties owned by farmers who use the harvest for their own subsistence, only 1.69 million tonnes -- or 53 per cent of the 2010 soft wheat harvest -- had been sent to market by the end of 2010, according to state cereal agency ONICL's latest statistics.
Morocco subsidises flour among other staples such as cooking oil, sugar and gas.
The state spent about 30 billion dirhams ($3.6 billion) in 2010 to subsidise such products for the country's population of 32 million. The figure is close to the kingdom's budget deficit at end-November.
ONICL introduced a compensation system earlier this month for importers of milling soft wheat until mid-April to keep supplies stable after a surge in grain prices.
Morocco's soft milling wheat imports jumped more than fourfold in the seven months to 31 December, to 1.25 million tonnes versus 0.3 million tonnes a year earlier, according to ONICL.
That meant Morocco had imported almost all the soft wheat it had planned to buy from abroad before end-2010, or 1.2 million tonnes of soft milling wheat, between 16 September and 31 December.
Morocco's grain import season starts in June and ends in May of the following year.

Clic here to read the story from its source.