Agriculture Minister Amin Abaza rejected the proposal to adopt a minimum compulsory surface for agricultural units (from 3 to 5 acres) and defined this as unconstitutional. He pointed out that the only solution to the problems of old lands (65% of Egypt's entire agricultural surface) is the establishment of an effective cooperative system to put lands together and increase their productivity. He also said that the fragmentation of possessions and scarce water are Egypt's main agricultural problems. The minister held a meeting with economic editors and experts at the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES) on Friday evening in Ein el-Sokhna. He said that Al-Waleed bin Talal had only reclaimed 1,300 acres of lands out of the 100,000 acres allocated to him in Toshka. "The more we phone him, the more he says he has a plan to reclaim 15,000 acres a year. This, though, will not be carried out" he said. He explained that the contract concluded with Al-Waleed bin Talal does not set any deadline to reclaim these lands. The minister then affirmed that the format of the contract of land allocation to Al-Rajhi would make the latter sow between 10,000 and 15,000 acres at the beginning of next year. Abaza then justified the fact that the price of wheat crops had not been revealed yet with the fear that traders may take advantage of the situation and import wheat in May, June and July and mix it with local one if it is more expensive than foreign one. He added the state is committed to granting a bonus which is equivalent to the difference of quality. He also expected the price of wheat not to be less than LE 240 or LE 250, adding it was however difficult to predict the world atmosphere. He affirmed he would insist on not buying peasants' wheat at less than the price of imported wheat, pointing out that this would be like a form of subsidy and would have to be included in the state budget. The ministry affirmed the government had not talked about privatizing the Agricultural Credit Bank, denying any intention to turn it from a specialized to a commercial bank. He said all the government is planning to do is to increase the bank's capital in the future through contributions from cooperatives when they become stronger. At that time, he said, studies can be made whether to turn it into a cooperative bank. He said Egyptian agriculture is much better than some actually imagine and that agricultural policies do not change according to the ministers but indeed according to new problems. He played down the importance of the water used in golf fields, saying that what is said about it is exaggerated and that priority should be given to rationalizing water consumption in old farms. "I am not pessimistic about the three main projects (Toskha, el-Owinat and El-Salam Canal)" he said, pointing out that he does not agree with those who say that the building expansion has affected Egypt's best land. He affirmed that establishing urban possessions for villages would stop buildings from creeping into the lands, adding that the only 75,000 acres of lands in all Egypt would be used for this purpose. The minister then questioned all agricultural statistics, saying there are no good data available about agriculture – and not only agriculture – due to societal reasons and because different ministries have different goals.
