Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly on Wednesday instructed the government to expand the area of land cultivated by fodder crops like maize and soy beans and to utilize the current silos as temporary storage facilities, to align with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's directives to confront any shortages in animal feed quantities to meet local demand for animal feed and stabilise prices of poultry, livestock and fish, the Egyptian Cabinet stated on Wednesday. In a meeting held on Wednesday, Dr Madbouli highlighted the government's continuous efforts to recycle agricultural waste and increase fodder production to make up shortages in animal feed supply required for poultry, livestock, and fish. He, moreover, emphasised the importance of maintaining a strategic fodder stock piles to ensure market stability during any crisis. Egypt's annual consumption of concentrated feed required for poultry, livestock, and fish stands at around 24 million tons, according to Minister of Agriculture, El Sayyed El Qassir, while El Qassir explained that the local annual demand of maize, a key component of concentrated fodder, is 12 million tons, while local production amounts to 7 to 8 million tons. He noted that the cost of the country's weekly imports of fodder is 100 million dollars, stressing that there are ongoing efforts to expand the areas cultivated by fodder crops to help close this gap. El Qassir also highlighted the advantage of using silos to store surplus quantities, noting that both the Ministry of Supply and the Agricultural Bank of Egypt possess ample storage capacities, which could assist in implementing the proposed plan.
