107 employees in Agriculture Ministry under investigation

CAIRO – 11 June 2017: Ninety employees were investigated for neglect and default by the Legal Affairs Department in the Ministry of Agriculture, Deputy Minister for Sohag Amal Ismail spoke to Egypt Today Saturday. Furthermore, 17 employees were investigated by the administrative prosecution and one employee was investigated by the public prosecution; in both cases, the defendants were convicted of corruption.

Since 2011 there have been 102,233 land encroachment cases in Sohag amounting to a total land area of 4,488 feddans (one feddan is equal to 1.038 acres.) In 2016, the Ministry launched an initiative of issuing 6.5 million electronic cards to combat land squatters upon the orders of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

Ismail clarified that the Ministry is issuing electronic possession cards, which are smart cards held by owners of agricultural lands to receive agricultural subsidies ensuring that they are the legal owners or tenants of the lands.

Ismail declared that 344,575 feddans are currently cultivated in the governorate, and that the harvest is still being delivered by farmers to silos.

On the governorate’s plan to develop the agricultural sector, the deputy minister added that the Ministry is coordinating between fresh grads of agricultural schools and cultivators to exchange knowledge. The Ministry is also providing high-quality seeds and facilitating procedures for cultivation contractors.

There are 390 greenhouses receiving technical support in Sohag for cultivating vegetables such as tomato, cucumber, green pepper and eggplant.

The number of feddans dedicated to wheat cultivation in the governorate is 194,507 feddans. The wheat harvest is delivered to three entities this year, silos of the Egyptian Agricultural Bank, the Holding Egyptian Company, and the Supreme Mills Company. Ismail added that 429 feddans are earmarked for cotton cultivation this year.