Egypt’s Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation announced plans to increase land allocated for rice cultivation this season by 50% to 451,080 hectares from 304,080 hectares last year. The step is aimed to boost the country’s domestic rice production and reduce importation.
Egypt’s rice production in 2017 reached 4 million tons sufficiently meeting the local consumption of 3 million tons. In 2018, the government enforced strict regulations on rice production due to water scarcity, leading to concerns over possible rice shortages and the increase in the price of one of Egypt’s staple food. The ministry’s plan targets the increased productivity of agricultural land by promoting high-quality rice varieties with low water consumption.
Read the full story at Ahram Online
More on rice and water scarcity:
