Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (Egypt)

The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt is a ministerial body in charge of agriculture and land reclamation in Egypt.

Arab Republic of Egypt
Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation
وزارة الزراعة وإستصلاح الأراضي
Agency overview
JurisdictionGovernment of Egypt
HeadquartersNew Administrative Capital, Cairo Governorate
30°2′35″N 31°12′35″E / 30.04306°N 31.20972°E / 30.04306; 31.20972
Agency executive
  • El-Said Marzouq El-Qosair (as of the 22nd of December 2019), Minister
Child agencies
WebsiteOfficial website

History edit

The Ministry of Agriculture was established on 20 November 1913. In 1996, it was renamed Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation. One of its goals is to address sustainability in agriculture such as better ways to do agricultural irrigation.[2][3]

In 2016, an agency from Switzerland was put in charge of inspecting Egypt's imported wheat. Egypt imports the most wheat of any country[4][5] and around 40% of the average Egyptians' income is spent on food.[6]

Farmland edit

As of 2000, small farms (between 5 and 6 feddans) accounted for most (49.61%) of the agricultural land ownership in Egypt. 34.72% of farm holdings were of 1 feddan or less.[7] The hope is that with desalination plants, new wells[8] and better infrastructure farmers will be able to grow more wheat.

In April 2018 Egypt purchased wheat from local farmers but not at a price farmers found sustainable.[9]

Land reclamation edit

A land reclamation project began in 2015, near the town of Farafra.[8] Large government and private investment and initiatives in farming the Sahara Desert have sometimes ended with little to show.[10]

In June 2017, it was announced 1.7 million feddans had been reclaimed and according to the Egyptian Prime Minister, Sherif Ismail, this work would continue. It was President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi who, in May 2017, asked for the armed services to begin reclaiming land by demolishing illegally erected structures on land not owned by builders or squatters.[11]

Ministers edit

  • Ayman Farid Abu-Hadid - from July 2013[12]
  • Adel Tawfik al-Sayed al-Beltagy[13]
  • Mahmoud Salah Eddin Hilal[14]
  • Essam Fayed - from September 2015[15]
  • Abdul Moneim El-Banna - from February 2017[16]
  • El-Said Marzouq El-Qosair - from December 2019[17]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "IPPC". International Plant Protection Convention.
  2. ^ "The evolution of the structure of the Ministry of Agriculture". Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  3. ^ "Ministry News". Ministry of Ag official site. Archived from the original on 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
  4. ^ Demaree, Holly (9 January 2017). "Egypt names new head of ag quarantine agency". world grain.
  5. ^ Schroeder, Eric (February 15, 2017). "Egypt names new ag minister". World-Grain.
  6. ^ Peter, Schwartzstein. "Farming the Sahara". Take Part.
  7. ^ Michel Petit; Etienne Montaigne; Fatima El Hadad-Gauthier (15 May 2015). Sustainable Agricultural Development: Challenges and Approaches in Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries. Springer. pp. 28–. ISBN 978-3-319-17813-4.
  8. ^ a b "Sisi inaugurates 1st phase of 1.5 million feddan reclamation project". Mada Masr. 31 December 2015.
  9. ^ "Egypt buys 190,000 tonnes of locally-produced wheat - ministr". Reuters. 19 April 2018. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  10. ^ Maloy, T.J. "Agribusiness overview: Egypt's agriculture is poised for growth". Marcopolis.net.
  11. ^ "Egypt PM says recovered 1.7 million feddans of agricultural land". Egypt Independent. 6 June 2017.
  12. ^ "Ayman Farid Abu-Hadid, newly appointed minister of agriculture and land reclamation of Egypt's interim cabinet which was formed on July 16, 2013, speaks to media at his office in Cairo". Thomson Reuters Foundation. 17 July 2013.
  13. ^ Mohamed, Ali (6 March 2015). "Who Are Egypt's New Ministers?". Atlantic Council.
  14. ^ Kelani, Mahmoud (19 March 2015). "وزير الزراعة في الإسماعيلية: "أنا خادم للفلاحين وسنتصدى بحزم للتعدي على الأراضي". Journal Constitution.
  15. ^ "Egypt's new Cabinet: What changed and what didn't?". Mada Masr. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  16. ^ El-Sheikh, Sarah (14 February 2017). "Parliament approves new cabinet reshuffle of nine ministries". Daily News Egypt.
  17. ^ "ننشر السيرة الذاتية للمحاسب السيد القصير وزير الزراعة الجديد". اليوم السابع. 2019-12-22. Retrieved 2021-02-20.

External links edit