Egypt targets cultivation of 600K feddans of beetroot in FY2022/23 to achieve self-sufficiency of sugar

CAIRO – 29 August 2022: Head of the Agricultural Services Sector at the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Abbas al-Shenawy told Masrawy Monday that the ministry targets cultivating 600,000 feddans (one feddan equals 4,500 square meters) with beetroot in FY2022/2023 to achieve self-sufficiency of sugar.

The official elaborated that the location of suitable lands is Toshki, Fayoum, and New Delta. He added that the harvest of the summer season is almost over, as the only remaining crops are those of rice and cotton.

Shennawy pointed out that makes the size of beetroot production in FY2021/2022, 2.5 million tons with an increase of 320,000 tons, up from 2.16 million tons in FY2020/2021.

In a similar context, Head of the Equipment Sector Adel al-Ashkar told Masrway that the ministry will subsidize growers of beetroot and sugar cane by 50 percent of the costs.

Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali El Moselhy stated in April 2021 that Egypt has achieved self-sufficiency of wheat and sugar by 55 percent and 90 percent, respectively, indicating that the rate of the latter would be 100 percent in 2022.

The minister elaborated that Egypt's consumption of wheat stands at 16 million tons per annum. Nine million tons go for baking traditional bread, while the rest is used to produce bakeries, pastries, and pasta.

Moselhy pointed out that Egypt cultivates 3.4 million feddans with wheat producing 8.5-9 million tons. He added that the country's storage capacity of wheat rose from 1.2 million tons to 3.4 million tons now as a result of adding silos.  

Speaking of sugar, the minister said that Egyptians consume 3.2 million tons of sugar per annum, and that the country's self-sufficiency hiked from 65 percent to 90 percent as a result of boosting the production of beet sugar.