Cairo - Engineer Mohamed Reda, the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, has confessed that the seeds tested by the Ministry are not available in some wheat-growing areas. He estimates that 30 per cent of Egypt's cultivated areas are deprived of such seeds. "The Ministry has launched a plan to distribute more seeds in Egyptian governorates, with the help of co-operative societies and private-sector companies. This plan will provide enough seeds for about 70 per cent of the land dedicated to wheat," he told a local newspaper. Eng. Reda, who described Egypt as a big wheat-cultivating country, stressed that one feddan of land can yield 22 ardebs of wheat, meaning total productivity of up to 9 million tons. The Minister of Agriculture explained that the climatic conditions in Egypt this year have caused this increase in productivity to 22 ardebs; last year, the average was 15 ardebs per feddan. He also told Al-Gomhoria daily newspaper that it is very important for wheat growers to be well advised. "The farmers need to know how much water to use and which fertilisers, pesticides, and, of course, seeds," he commented. Dr Salah Abdel-Mo'men, the head of the Agricultural Research Centre, said that Egypt's wheat storage capacity is about 3 million tons. "We produce about 8 million tons of wheat per annum, which means that there is no room in the silos for about 5 million tons. "The average Egyptian consumes 160kg of wheat annually, far more than the global avearge of 80kg," he added in an interview. “The climate here is suitable for growing wheat. The weather across the country throughout the year is favourable for many crops. But this year, the weather is particularly good for wheat cultivation." Dr Abdel-Mo'men said that researchers are working on a new type of seed that will boost wheat yields. This genetically produced seed will be able to withstand climatic change and increasing soil salinity. In the meantime, Egypt imports about 7 million tons of wheat annually.
