Egypt’s wheat procurement reaches 4.3 mln tons, 86% of target

Egypt has procured more than 4.3 million tons of locally produced wheat so far this season, reaching 86 per cent of its target of 5 million tons, the Agriculture Ministry said on Monday.

The strong pace of procurement follows the government’s decision to raise the wheat purchase price to 2,500 Egyptian pounds per ardeb—equivalent to about 150 kilograms—to encourage farmers to increase deliveries.

Agriculture Minister Alaa Farouk said Egypt had expanded wheat cultivation to a record 3.7 million feddans this season, up about 600,000 feddans from a year earlier.

Egypt, one of the world’s largest wheat importers, has been seeking to increase domestic production and procurement to strengthen food security and reduce exposure to volatility in global grain markets.

Farouk said cooperation between the agriculture and supply ministries had helped facilitate procurement operations through more than 400 collection and receiving points nationwide, reducing transport costs and easing logistical burdens on farmers.

The government has also committed to paying farmers within 48 hours of delivery, he added.

Procurement operations are continuing at silos, storage facilities, and collection centres across the country under the supervision of central and local monitoring units established to oversee deliveries and address any issues facing farmers during the harvest season.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English