Egypt limits area for rice cultivation in 2017 to preserve water

Egypt will decrease land area used for rice production in the 2017 season with a decrease of 34.6 percent, according to a decree issued by the Ministry of Irrigation and published in the Official Gazette on Sunday.

In an attempt to preserve scarce water resources, the Ministry limited the cultivation of the water-consuming crop to 6 governorates covering an area of 704.5 thousand feddans in comparison to 1.076 million feddans in 2016 season.

The only governorates that will be allowed to cultivate rice are Beheira, Kafr El-Sheikh, Daqahliya, Damietta, Port Said, and Sharqiya.

The ministry will provide water for rice fields in the selected governorates from May - August 2017.

Rice, a key stable foodstuff for millions of Egyptians, consumes 9,500 to 11,000 cubic metres water per hectare, a much higher average compared to other crops.

Per the decree, rice production would be banned in unauthorized fields with violators subjected to fines.
 [ahram.org.eg]
23/10/16