Nile Valley Pilot Project Grows 15 Feddans of Drought-Resistant Rice

In a first for the nation, Egypt has grown 15 feddans of drought-resistant rice for a pilot project in the New Valley governorate.

The introduction of dry rice as an alternative crop to regular rice could become an important milestone in local agriculture, since dry rice needs a significantly smaller amount of water to grow. While regular rice requires 7,000 cubic metres of water per feddan to grow, the Ministry of Agriculture shows that dry rice only requires 3,500 cubic metres of water per feddan.This will allow modern agriculture to acclimate to the threat of water scarcity in the face of climate change and water crises. Now just make sure you do your part and turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.

The New Valley project also educated farmers on the specific irrigation and fertilisation methods needed to grow the crop. During the project, it was found that in each feddan, the average yield of dry rice amounted to 3.2 tonnes, which translates to approximately EGP 15,000 worth of rice.