12/04/2013

Al-Masry Al-Youm

Agriculture Minister Salah Abdel Momen commissioned the Agricultural Research Center to review their recommendations for harvesting wheat, corn, cotton and rice following the release of new information regarding the impact of climate change on crop cycles.

“The current year witnessed climate changes that ordinary citizens noticed, including underground fluctuations and sharp rises and drops in temperature, which confounds all our expectations,” said Agricultural Research Center head Abdel Moneim al-Banna in a press statement on Thursday.

The center will bring its agricultural experts together to discuss how to revise growing and harvesting cycles in the midst of these new weather patterns to maintain high productivity in the cultivation of wheat, corn and rice, Banna added. The center will then submit their recommendations to the ministry to approve before implementing them in the next planting season.

The meetings will also determine actions that could address problems arising from climate change, such as changing irrigation practices to reduce the risk of frost damaging citrus, mango and other crops, he said.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/climate-change-forcing-egypt-change-agriculture-practices