CAIRO: Egypt will reduce the land allocated for planting rice to save water and encourage farmers to grow more corn, Agriculture Minister Amin Abaza told Bloomberg. In an interview in New Delhi, the minister said Egypt plans to cut the area from 1.8 million acres that was allocated to the grain in 2007-08, he said. "Rice consumes more water and we want to make sure we are using our water in the most efficient manner possible, he explained, noting water shortages problems and an irrigation system that is yet to be modernized. The decision, combined with the government's ban on rice exports for the next six months, is expected to further reduce global stockpiles that helped push prices to a record. Egypt, Africa's largest rice exporter last year, exported 700,000 metric tons of the grain, a staple food for half the world, this year. According to a US Department of Agriculture report released in November, the rice yield is the highest on record. Scaling back rice planting may not create a shortage because the nation produces more rice than it needs, the minister said. Egypt consumes 3.2 million tons of rice out of 4.6 million tons a year. The Minister told Bloomberg that the government will increase plantings of corn by 400,000 acres to reach 2.1 million acres in order to boost output and reduce imports. The area will increase to 3 million acres in 10 years, he said. He said the aim is to reduce corn imports, estimated to be 4.5 million tons. Aside from being a key ingredient in making bread, corn is also vital for the poultry industry. Abaza is part of an official delegation visiting India to work on increasing bilateral relations. He met with the Indian counterpart Shri Sharad Pawar to discuss agricultural research, extension, cooperatives, agricultural finance and credit, fertilizers, modern irrigation systems, agricultural machinery and possibilities of setting up joint ventures.
