Egypt kicks off summer fertiliser season with full switch to digital payments

Egypt’s Ministry of Agriculture launched on Sunday the fertiliser distribution for the 2026 summer agricultural season. The smart farmer card is now the sole approved payment method. Cash transactions have been permanently eliminated.

Around 6.6 million bags of urea and nitrate fertilizers have been made available at cooperatives nationwide as a first batch.

Some 5,500 electronic point-of-sale machines have been deployed across 27 governorates. The rollout falls under the directives of Agriculture Minister Alaa Farouk as part of the state’s digital transformation plan. The system targets smallholder farmers and those with landholdings under 25 feddans.

Mohamed Shata, Head of the Central Administration for Agricultural Directorates Affairs, said cooperatives have been instructed not to accept cash under any circumstances. All payments go through the Meeza card at the official price with no added charges. The move aims to ensure fair distribution, prevent subsidy leakage, and build a database for decision-makers.

The initial rollout will cover six governorates: Beheira, Alexandria, Ismailia, Suez, Port Said, and Nubaria. The ministry said daily monitoring will continue through central operations rooms and governorate-level directorates. Farmers were urged to report any violations to secure their full entitlements.