Egypt may achieve self-sufficiency in bread wheat over the next two years, according to Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Ayman Farid Abu Hadid.
In a statement on Wednesday, the minister said Egypt's production of bread wheat for 2011 is predicted at approximately eight million tonnes, while the consumption should total nine million tonnes.
Abu Hadid added that self-sufficiency can be accomplished by raising the productivity of each feddan of wheat from 18 ardebs (101.16 US bushels) to 24 ardebs (133.44 US bushels), dedicating 3.1 million feddans nationwide to production of the crop, and improving the application of fertilizers and boosting the instruction provided for farmers.
The minister pointed out that Egypt wastes 20 percent of its wheat annually from harvesting to consumption, which, according to Abu Hadid, means that valuable granary space is being wasted. He noted that Egypt’s granaries cannot admit more than 1.5 million tonnes of wheat.
