Egypt: The Desert Green
22 December 2008 The thought of the Nile River Valley conveys rich soil and lush vegetation, growing deep in humid sub-Mediterranean Africa. This image is somewhat true: Egypt’s fields and orchards are alive with splendid vegetables and lustrous fruits, and expanses of Egyptian cotton, considered the finest in the world.
Yet, the nutrient-rich silt, which for thousands of years fertilized the croplands through seasonal flooding, is no longer deposited in the soil; the Aswan Dam prevents its flow. Thus, the major field crops we see today — cotton, rice, wheat, and beans, according to M. El Shafie of Chema Industries in Alexandria — and the major orchard crops, which he advises to be table grapes, citrus, peaches, apricots, apples, and mangoes, are dependent upon chemical fertilizers.
El Shafie attests that the most important fertilizers now used are nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash (N-P-K), trace elements, stimulants, soil amendments, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulphate, calcium nitrate, potassium sulphate, and phosphoric acid. For security reasons, however, potassium nitrate is banned.
The range of crops grown also requires a variety of agrochemicals; those most popular now are organophosphate insecticides such as chlorpyriphos, malathion, diazinon, and fenitrothion; miticides like abamectin; the nematicides carbufuran and oxamyl; glyphosate herbicides; and such fungicides as intended for powdery mildew, downy mildew, and botritis.
Of Egypt’s cropped 3.3 million hectares (Ha), only around 20,235 Ha do not use agrochemicals. Instead, biological products such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), Beauveria bassiana, natural fertilizers, and mechanical control methods are preferred. According to El Shafie, biocontrols are mostly used on medicinal herbs and vegetables for export, primarily to Germany; biocontrolled crop prices are too high for Egyptian consumers.
Channels
The majority of Egypt’s exports go to Europe, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States. Exports intended for Europe must comply with EurepGAP, which certifies Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) and provides documentation for certain processes and procedures. Shipments into Europe can use only approved agrochemicals and acceptable residue levels. Locally, there are no restrictions, says Chema Industries’ El Shafie, as long as the local Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) has approved the chemicals. Genetically modified (GM) crops have not yet been ratified in Egypt.
Importers usually make agreements with Egyptian wholesalers, who then distribute to retailers around the country. Although manufacturers or importers often prefer to distribute directly to retailers, El Shafie advises that “this is complicated, since there are around 4,000 retailing shops around the country, and most agrochemicals are not sold in cash. This will include additional efforts to collecting the due amounts when the crop is sold and the farmers pay their debts to the retailer.”
One should also note that although some regulations are similar to other countries, like three-year trial requirements, there is no fixed registration protocol; regulations change with each turn of officials, without prior notice. In order to address this obstacle, agrochemical companies are trying to build strong unions to influence MoA officials.
New Valley Future
In 1997, Egypt began construction of the New Valley Canal, a self-sustaining river cut to connect the Toshka Lakes and a series of oases one to another to irrigate the Western Desert. Water is transported from Lake Nasser by the Mubarak Pumping Station, converting 237,955 Ha of desert into agricultural land.
While the New Valley Project is not scheduled for completion until 2020, it is already producing. El Shafie says: “The newly reclaimed desert land is hosting a thriving modern agriculture — called ‘industrial’ agriculture — using the most advanced techniques, usually in large acreage.” According to El Shafie, this new sector has increased Egypt’s arable land by around 35% of the old agricultural acreage in the Nile Valley.
History’s explorers, navigating the White and Blue Niles and clearing thick vegetation to drift into the luxurious Nile River Valley, might not recognize the area, and they definitely wouldn’t understand today’s technology-based farming. But no matter how much the agricultural methods have changed, Egypt’s orchards and fields remain laden with luscious fruits and golden grains, a bounty for the lands to the north.
Get The Newsletter Today!
