Farmers across the country are dismayed at the government requiring them to supply wheat at a high purity rate of 22.5, which they say is difficult because the seeds are not good. Abdallah Dawood and Fathi Ali, farmers, say the decision only serves a small number of farmers that are well-off and can afford to use good-quality seeds, while the vast majority of farmers use their stored seeds.
Mohamed el-Baali, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture in Ismailia, says there are 42,000 acres in the province planted with wheat. In Kafr el-Sheikh, some farmers suffered heavy losses due to the sharp decline in the price of wheat down to LE 240 per ardeb instead of LE 440 last year, in addition to the rise in the prices of fertilizers and seeds. They said they will not grow wheat next year so as not to incur more losses.
In Qena, the farmers objected to linking the price of wheat to its purity. Othman Ali, a farmer, said the farmers should be compensated for the expenses they have incurred this season. Mahmoud Ali Hassanein, a farmer, says the farmers cannot control the purity of the wheat because the seeds they get from the coops are not pure. Ahmed Ali, Under-Secretary of the Social Solidarity Directorate in Qena, said there is a committee that assesses the purity of the supplied wheat.
In Menoufia, the farmers filed complaints to Governor Sami Emara for the same reason. Atef Mekawi, Head of the Local Council's Agricultural Committee, said the decision would make the farmers refrain from growing wheat in the future. In Dakahlia, a number of farmers already stopped growing wheat for the same reason.
