Egypt needs a plan to develop its irrigation system and optimize its water sources, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said yesterday in a meeting attened by the ministers of finance, agriculture, and irrigation, as well as the head of the ruling National Democratic Party’s secretary of farmers.
Nazif said the plan should include an economic model that farmers can feasibly implement. A new water-use plan, Nazif said, should also raise awareness among farmers of ways to boost the economic benefits of the project and overcome the problem of fragmentation of property ownership.
Cabinet spokesperson Magdi Radi said the meeting discussed procedures to develop irrigation systems in the Nile valley and the Delta, especially in areas that use flood irrigation, which requires large amounts of water. Reports indicate that modern irrigation techniques can reduce water consumption by more than 20.
Radi added that the meeting emphasized the advantages of making the transformation to sprinkler irrigation systems, which should enhance the quality and productivity of land and eventually increase farmers’ incomes.
In a related development, Minister of Irrigation Mohamed Nasr Eddin Allam presented a report on his ministry’s efforts to overcome the agricultural problems that arose in March in Lower Egypt as a result of the severe temperature changes which led to an early harvest of winter crops.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
