Egypt’s rice cultivation expected to increase 140% y-o-y in 2019

Egypt’s rice cultivation is expected to increase 140% y-o-y in 2019 to reach 6 mn tonnes, the head of the Federation of Egyptian Industries’ rice division Ragab Shehata said, according to Al Shorouk. Agriculture Ministry figures show that the average annual consumption of white rice in Egypt stands at around 3.5 mn tonnes, which begs the question why we’re going back to growing more of the water-intensive crop than we need. Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Atti had outlined in April a USD 50 bn 18-year plan to encourage modern irrigation methods, cultivate fewer water-intensive crops, and establish desalination plants. The strategy is supported by legislative amendments to the Agriculture Act, and aims to clamp down on water-intensive crops to reduce water shortages.