The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation announced its plans for the new wheat season this week, targeting the cultivation of 3.5 million feddans and expecting the production of 10 million tons of wheat.
Wheat cultivation in Egypt takes place between mid-November and late January, while the harvest season extends between mid-April and mid-July.
Minister of Agriculture Alaa Farouk has set the procurement price at LE2,350 per ardeb (about 5.6 US bushels), an increase of LE150 compared to last year. This was a fair price, he said, given that global prices range between LE1,800 and LE1,850.
The plan is meant to achieve the highest possible productivity of Egypt’s most strategic crop, while reducing disease and pest infestations, narrowing the food gap, and increasing self-sufficiency in wheat.
Towards this end, instructions have been given to facilitate farmers’ access to production inputs, ensuring that subsidised fertilisers reach eligible farmers through the Farmer’s Card system.
The various agricultural directorates have been asked to address any complaints promptly.
The Ministry of Agriculture has released a map specifying the distribution of suitable wheat varieties according to soil type and climatic conditions in each area.
Egypt is the world’s largest wheat importer, purchasing up to 12 million tons annually to meet the needs of the public and private sectors. Its suppliers include Russia, Romania, the US, Australia, and Canada.
Sobhi Abdel-Dayem, head of the Wheat Research Department at the Agricultural Research Centre and director of the National Campaign for the Advancement of Wheat Production in Egypt, told Al-Ahram Weekly that increasing wheat production is of particular importance in the light of the population growth that continues to widen the gap between production and consumption and increases wheat imports.
The expected impacts of climate change, especially rising temperatures, and the shortage of irrigation water are the main challenges in the coming period, Abdel-Dayem said.
He added that the strategy of the Wheat Research Department to boost wheat production this year is based on four pillars. The first is horizontal expansion, aimed at increasing the total cultivated area of wheat.
The second is vertical expansion, which seeks to raise productivity through the cultivation of new high-yield varieties and the strict application of technical recommendations. It also involves adhering to the varietal policy for each area and expanding the establishment of demonstration fields through the National Campaign for the Advancement of Wheat Production across all the governorates, under the supervision of the Wheat Research Department.
The third pillar is reducing post-harvest losses and rationalising consumption, while the fourth focuses on promoting changes in consumption patterns and developing the skills of wheat farmers.
“High-yield seeds have been made available in all outlets nationwide in line with the varietal policy and through the Central Administration for Seed Production and private sector companies,” Abdel-Dayem said.
“The Wheat Research Department has developed plans to ensure full coverage with certified seeds in accordance with the varietal policy. Since the beginning of October, awareness seminars have been launched across all the governorates to familiarise farmers with the most suitable wheat varieties for each area, their characteristics, productivity potential, and recommended practices ahead of the planting season,” Abdel-Dayem said.
The varietal policy is characterised by the use of diverse high-yield and rust-resistant varieties, he added. This diversity allows farmers to choose the variety that best meets their needs in terms of grain and straw yield, as well as baking quality, he explained.
Moreover, the use of different seeds helps adapt to changing climatic conditions and prevents the spread of rust diseases in the event of new strains emerging, he noted.
This is part of an integrated plan the Ministry of Agriculture has adopted to ensure a successful wheat cultivation season. Alongside the varietal map, the plan includes expanding the use of contract farming, offering pricing and incentive schemes to encourage farmers, providing technical and field advisory services, and monitoring cultivation progress in demonstration fields and model farms.
Othman, a 73-year-old farmer from Sharqiya governorate, believes that the wheat procurement price set by the government this year will be fair if yields are good.
He explained that his main challenges in cultivating wheat are irrigation and climate fluctuations. His land is irrigated with Nile water, though he sometimes faces shortages. He added that climatic changes occasionally cause dew to accumulate on the wheat spikes, or lead to diseases such as smut or rust, which weaken the spikes and reduce both crop quality and yield per feddan.
According to Othman, the average yield per feddan ranges between eight and 12 ardebs. He noted that to encourage farmers to grow wheat, the government has raised its procurement price while lowering the price of sugar beet.
Most obstacles to wheat cultivation usually arise from farmers’ failure to follow the full set of technical recommendations for the crop, Abdel-Dayem said. These include insufficient land preparation and ploughing, not adhering to the optimal planting period in November, planting unsuitable varieties for the area, failing to control weeds at the proper time or using the wrong herbicide concentration depending on whether the weeds are broadleaf or grassy, neglecting the use of agricultural machinery to minimise post-harvest losses, and not applying fertilisers at the correct times.
He stressed that compliance with these technical recommendations leads to higher productivity per ardeb.
However, Othman said that the government provides farmers with only two bags of subsidised fertiliser per feddan, priced at LE350 each, while each feddan requires four bags. Farmers have to buy the remaining two bags at the higher market price of LE1,200 each.
According to Hussein Abu Saddam, head of the Farmers Syndicate, many of the difficulties associated with wheat cultivation in the past stemmed from the absence of a guaranteed price before the planting season. This issue has now been resolved, as the government has set a guaranteed price well in advance for the second consecutive year, he said.
Abu Saddam said that the current wheat procurement price is satisfactory for farmers, as it is higher than both last year’s price and the international market rate, as well as above the prices of competing crops. For example, the price of sugar beet has been reduced from LE2,400 per ton to LE2,000 to make wheat cultivation more attractive.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 23 October, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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