Sisi vows to continue directing gov’t to spare no effort to support farmers on national day

CAIRO – 9 September 2022: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi congratulated on Friday farmers across Egypt on the 70th anniversary of the National Farmer's Day “on which they restore their dignity and honor”.

In a social media post, the president vowed to continue his directives to the government to make all possible efforts to support farmers nationwide and secure a decent life for them and their families.

Sisi said he will also continue directing government to work on improving the living standards of the farmers, boosting their income and profits, and providing them with additional financial incentives to supply their crops to the state.

“Over time, the Egyptian farmer has been exerting effort and put in sweat with the highest qualities of dedication and sincerity to achieve food security for the state,” Sisi stated.

Every year on 9 September, Egypt celebrates the National Farmer's Day, which dates back to 1952, the year of the July Revolution that abolished the monarch and established the republic.

The day is celebrated to honor the farmers’ efforts over the past thousands of years and their growing role regarding the Egyptian economy.

The Farmer's Day also coincides with the day in 1881 when Ahmed Orabi, a late farmer, an Egyptian officer, and leader of the Orabi revolt, stood against Khedive Tewfik, saying: “God has created us free and didn't create us heritage or real estate. I swear by God, the only God, we will not be bequeathed or enslaved anymore".

Supplying wheat to state

The Egyptian state relies on farmers for supplying wheat in order to cover the citizens' needs along with the imported wheat especially in light of the disruption in global supply chains as a result of the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

To encourage farmers to cultivate wheat and supply it to the state, the Egyptian Cabinet announced late in August setting the country's initial wheat procurement price at LE 1,000 for the 2023 wheat harvest season.

The decision raises the wheat procurement price from LE 865-885 during the past wheat harvest season, which extended from April to August.

After the end of the harvest season, the government announced receiving 4.2 million tons of wheat from farmers. The state has announced earlier targeting to collect between 5 to 5.5 million tons of local wheat from farmers during the outgoing season.