Egypt, the world's largest wheat importer, expects to grow 3 million acres of wheat in the 2011/12 season, the chairman of the country's National Seed Council said on Wednesday.
The planting area will be "around 3 million acres, plus or minus ... nearly like last year's area," Fawzi Mahrous told reporters on the sidelines of a Russian grain conference in Egypt.
Egypt raised the price it will pay local farmers for their wheat next season to LE380 (US$63.60) per ardeb (140 kg) from LE350 during the last season to give an incentive to local wheat farmers.
Wheat is planted in October and November and harvested in April and May.
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