Government’s water conservation strategy to reduce land for sugarcane, banana, rice cultivation

It’s about damn time: The Ismail government is planning to reduce the amount of land used for the cultivation of water-intensive crops including sugarcane, banana and rice, Agriculture Ministry sources tell Al Masry Al Youm. Irrigation and Water Resources Ministry spokesman Hossam El Emam had said last month that the government had decided to cut down the maximum area for cultivating rice to 724k feddans, from 1.076 mn feddans last year. The ministry is also planning to promote the cultivation of other crops that consume less water and remain profitable for farmers, as well as develop irrigation methods to reduce water consumption.