Egypt: minister tells the Senate — wheat output 11 million tonnes, procurement at EGP 2,500 per ardeb, loans at 5%

Egypt's Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Alaa Farouk presented the food security strategy to a plenary session of the Senate on 10 November. He gave figures on wheat, fertiliser subsidies and subsidised loans. The report was published by Daily News Egypt, citing the minister's address.

Key figures

• Wheat: 11 million tonnes
• Procurement: EGP 2,500/ardeb
• Fertiliser: EGP 4,500/t
• Subsidies > EGP 35 bn
• Loans at 5% a year
• 3.7 million feddans of wheat

What changed

The ministry's strategy rests on five pillars: expanding cultivated land, raising yields through new varieties, developing livestock, poultry and fisheries, competitive exports, and digital extension services for farmers. The ministry is also updating the 1966 Agriculture Law and the 1980 law on agricultural co-operatives.

The figures

The rate used for conversion is about EGP 55.5 per dollar. What the minister said:

• wheat in 2026: about 11 Mt from 3.7 million feddans, average yield 20 ardebs per feddan;
• the wheat procurement price was raised to EGP 2,500 per ardeb (≈ $45);
• fertiliser subsidies this year exceeded EGP 35 billion (≈ $630 million); the farmer pays about EGP 4,500 per tonne (≈ $81) — unchanged for over three years, against a global price of $450–500 per tonne;
• subsidised farm loans at 5% a year have reached about EGP 30 billion (≈ $540 million), against commercial rates of 18–20%;
• 4.4 million people use electronic farmer cards to collect fertiliser.

Where subsidies are directed

The ministry is redirecting support towards strategic crops: subsidised fertiliser for sugar beet is kept only for newly reclaimed land, and the allocation for sugar cane is being cut gradually. Surplus fertiliser will be sold through the Digital Smart Tree system, part of the output will be sold at market prices, and surplus volumes will be allowed to be exported.

What this means for the buyer

With a yield of 20 ardebs and a procurement price of EGP 2,500, revenue per feddan is about EGP 50,000 (≈ $900) before costs — a benchmark for calculating the payback of a wheat acreage. The fertiliser price is fixed, but the benefit is targeted: farms growing beet and cane should recalculate their costs in advance. If you can get a loan at 5% instead of 18–20%, the rate difference noticeably changes the calculation for buying machinery. Used John Deere combines and tractors from the USA help stay within budget; delivery times are best discussed before the season.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt (minister's address to the Senate, 10 November 2026), as reported by Daily News Egypt