Maclean et al. - 2002 - Rice almanac source book for the most important e

EGYPT, a large nation of 1 million km 2 , although mainly containing desert, is located in the
northeastern corner of Africa. It has a fast-growing population, 67 million in 1999, almost all
of whom live along the Nile River. The Nile’s waters are used extensively to irrigate crops such
as rice, which is grown in the summer on about 600,000 ha, mainly in the northern delta.
Forty percent of the workforce is involved in agriculture, which makes up 17% of the GDP.
General information
• GNI per capita PPP$, 2000: 3,670
• Internal renewable water resources: 1.8 km 3
• Incoming water flow: 66.7 km 3
• Main food consumed: wheat, maize, sugar
and honey, oil and fat, rice
• Rice consumption, 1999: 40.6 kg milled rice
per person per year
Production constraints
Yields during 1995-2000 were among the
world’s highest. The following are constraints to
sustainable rice production in Egypt:
• Shortage of water
• Salinity
• Pests and disease (blast)
• Yield potentials of current varieties have
reached a plateau
Production season
Planting Harvesting
Main season May Oct
158 Rice almanac