File Photo: Egyptian farmer in a wheat field. Photo: (Al-Ahram)
The ministry said the increase in procurement volumes was supported by state incentives for farmers, including raising the procurement price to EGP 2,500 per ardeb, alongside expanded collection infrastructure and faster payment mechanisms.
Agriculture Minister Alaa Farouk said Egypt had cultivated 3.7 million feddans of wheat this year, the largest area on record and 600,000 feddans more than last season, according to a ministry statement.
“Wheat remains at the top of the state’s priorities as a cornerstone of national food security,” Farouk said, noting the crop’s importance to the country’s subsidized bread programme and broader food industries.
Farouk said the government had set a target of receiving five million tonnes of locally produced wheat during the current harvest season, adding that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi had directed authorities to increase procurement prices to encourage farmers to deliver larger quantities.
The minister said more than 400 collection and receiving points had been established nationwide through coordination between the agriculture and supply ministries to ease transport burdens on farmers and facilitate deliveries.
He added that farmers’ dues are paid within 48 hours of wheat deliveries.
The ministry said procurement operations continue regularly at silos, storage sites, and collection centres nationwide, while joint committees overseeing inspection and receiving procedures are operating continuously to speed up sorting and quality assessments.
Farouk added that central and regional operations rooms had been activated across governorates to monitor procurement operations, resolve logistical issues, and provide technical support to farmers throughout the harvest season.
Egypt is one of the world’s largest wheat importers and relies heavily on the grain to support its subsidized bread programme, which serves more than 60 million citizens. The government has accelerated efforts in recent years to expand domestic wheat cultivation and increase local procurement to reduce pressure from global supply shocks and foreign currency shortages.
The government has increasingly focused on boosting local wheat production and procurement in recent years to reduce reliance on imports and shield the economy from global supply disruptions and currency pressures. Authorities have raised procurement prices several times since 2022, with the price per ardeb climbing from around EGP 885 in 2022 to EGP 2,500 this season.
Egypt is targeting the procurement of about five million tonnes of local wheat during the current harvest season, which runs from mid-April to mid-August, while maintaining strategic reserves of essential commodities at what officials described as “highly reassuring levels.”
The expansion of wheat cultivation has become a central pillar of Egypt’s food-security strategy. More than 3.7 million feddans were planted with wheat during the current season, an increase of roughly 500,000–600,000 feddans from the previous year, supported by new land-reclamation projects and higher-yield seed varieties.
The government has also invested heavily in silo infrastructure and grain-storage systems to reduce post-harvest losses and improve reserve management.
Egypt’s wheat strategy has taken on added urgency following disruptions in global grain markets since the Russia-Ukraine war, as both countries have historically been among Cairo’s main wheat suppliers. Rising shipping costs, energy prices, and currency volatility have further increased pressure on Egypt’s food-import bill.
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