The way to improve sustainable

agricultural mechanization

system in Egypt

Prof. Essam El-Den Wasif Director of Agricultural Engineering Research Institute ( AEnRI)-ARC

&

National coordinator of Egyptian-Italian project for “Sustainable Agricultural

Mechanization System Improvement in Minia and Fayoum Governorates”

Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AEnRI)

Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AEnRI) is one of research institutes

of the Agricultural Research Center.

The main objective of AEnRI is to assist in increasing agricultural production by

introducing appropriate engineering technologies to end users with special focus

on small and medium size farms.

Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AEnRI):

AEnRI research departments:

Agri. Mechanization Operation System

Agri. Power & Energy

Animal Production Mechanization

Biological Engineering

Crop Handling& Processing

Irrigation Engineering

AEnRI supporting units:

Central lab of Instrumentation Measurements

National lab for testing on-farm irrigation equipment

Rice Mechanization

Center (RMC), Meet El-

Deeba, Kafr El-Sheikh

Tractor and Machinery

Testing Center (TMTC),

Sabhia, Alexandria

Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AEnRI):

AEnRI

headquarter

Developing and modifying agricultural machinery and components of

irrigation systems,

Carrying out applied research studies as the following:

o Farming operations for field and horticulture crops, as well as for

animal production operations.

o improve systems of on-farm irrigation management to rationalize

use of irrigation water, fertilizers and conserve environment.

o the utilization of traditional and untraditional energy sources in

different agricultural operations to rationalize the use of energy.

o Bioengineering technologies and applications.

Performing farming system analysis for modern techniques used in

agriculture and carrying out economical studies for mechanized farming

operations,

Transferring of appropriate technology to rural areas and new lands and

training personnel in different aspects of agricultural engineering

operations and systems,

Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AEnRI):

Activities

Examples of the current national and

international contributions:

National project of “Innovative

Initiative For Technology of

Medium Capacity Silos for Cereal

Grains (200 tons) - (Funded by

STDF)

The National Project for the Field

Irrigation Development (Funded

by World Bank)

Mega national project of land

reclamation (1.5 Million Feddan)

Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AEnRI):

contributions

Sustainable development of the agricultural sector in

Egypt:

Vision of the 2030 strategy …

“To achieve comprehensive economic and social

development based on a sustained growing dynamic

agricultural sector, with special attention to help the

sensitive social groups and reducing rural poverty”

Promoting sustainable use of natural agricultural resources

Increase the productivity of both land and water units,

Raising the degree of food security of the strategic food

crops,

Enhancing the marketing conditions of agricultural products

in local and international markets,

Foster and encourage the investments in the agricultural

sector,

Improving the livelihood of rural inhabitants, and reducing

poverty rates in rural areas,

Sustainable development of the agricultural sector in

Egypt- 2030: Mission and Objectives…

Reduce pre- and post-harvest losses

Crop Target

Wheat increase production by 74%

Rice Maintaining self-sufficiency with a surplus for export of

about 200,000 tons

Maize increase production up to 13.9 million tons

Sugar crops increase production by 52%, and self-sufficiency up to 82%

Sustainable development of the agricultural sector in

Egypt- 2030: strategic crops targets …

Tractors origin

Agricultural mechanization in Egypt: current situation…

Romanian35%

Russia14%

Egypt, Naser22%

Other Types29%

From Japan, Italy,

China, USA, UK

Number of Agricultural Tractors

Agricultural mechanization in Egypt: current situation…

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

1995 1997 1999 2002 2005 2007 2010 2013 2014 2015

Lower Egypt Upper Egypt Total

Number of Thresher Machines

Agricultural mechanization in Egypt: current situation…

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

1995 1997 1999 2002 2005 2007 2010 2013 2014 2015

Nu

mb

er

Year

Lower Egypt Upper Egypt Total

Agricultural mechanization in Egypt: current situation…

Number of Seed drills

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2,000

1995 1997 1999 2002 2005 2007 2010 2013 2014 2015

Year

Lower Egypt Upper Egypt Total

Agricultural mechanization in Egypt: current situation…

Number of Combine Harvesters (Wheat & Rice)

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2011 2014 2015

Agricultural mechanization in Egypt: SWOT analysis …

Strengths

- High quality research and

development institutes (AEnRI,

Extension,…),

- High trust levels of the farmers in the

governmental stations of farm

mechanizations,

- The growing market of agricultural

mechanization,

Weakness

- The number of the machines is lower

than the needs,

- Poor maintenance level,

- Lack of spare parts,

- Small holdings area,

- Low technical level of operators &

technical staff,

Opportunities

- Labor force deficiency,

- Low contribution of the private sector

to cover the needed mechanization

services,

- The expected good return from the

investments in the agricultural

mechanization,

- The strong need for small-farms

mechanization,

- The agricultural development

strategies.

Threats

- The changes in crop patterns may

changes the mechanization

requirements,

- The gap between needed and the

presented specifications of machines,

- The lack of investments in agricultural

Machines sector (3-5% of the total

Agric. Investments)

- The growing increase in the costs of

the other production inputs,

Egyptian-Italian project

for

“Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization

System Improvement in Minia and Fayoum

Governorates”

Goal.. Contributing to reaching the Millennium Development Goal O1 T1- which

foresees to half poverty within 2015- through the support to sustainable

agricultural mechanization, capacity building at research, agricultural

cooperative associations, mechanization centers and agricultural

extension level

Objective… Contributing to increase Agricultural sustainability through

supporting and enhancing agricultural mechanization in Minia and

Fayoum.

Through the following pillars:

- Adopt and foster “community participation” approach in the project

activities,

- Enhance the technical capacities of the operators and the other

involved stockholders,

- Enhance the technical and operational levels of the agricultural

mechanization stations at the Minia & Fayoum.

Project goals and objectives

CIHEAM-Bari MALR

Agricultural Mechanization Sector

The Central Administration of

Agricultural cooperative

Association

The central administration of

Agricultural Extension

Program management Unite

(PMU)

Steering Committee (SC)

MALR Foreign Agricultural

Relations (FAR)

Italian Embassy in Cairo

Egyptian Ministry of International

Cooperation (MOIC)

Local branches of PMU

1 in Minia

1 in Fayoum

5 Mechanization stations

9 Mechanization stations

Organizational structure of the project

AEnRI-ARC

Example of the mechanization stations structure…

Mechanization station

Director

Administration

[5% of HR]

Operators

[55% of HR]

Maintenance Monitoring & follow-up

Workshop Spare parts supplying

Technical staff

Engineers

[10% of HR]

Technicians

[30% of HR]

The size of the station…

Maximum: 50 feddan

Minimum: 10 feddan

Minia

Fayoum

Project implementation locations

Minia Gov.

Main Crops: Wheat, Maize, Sorghum, Sugarcane, Sugar beet, Potato

Total area: 32279.00 Km2.

Total cultivated area: 452 × 103 feddans

Population: 4.2 million

Fayoum Gov.

Main Crops: Maize, Sorghum, Sugar beet, clover, Wheat, Cotton, Aromatic herbs

Total area: 6068.00 Km2

Total cultivated area: 445× 103 feddans

Population: 2.7 million

Fayoum, 4932

Menia, 7628

Tractors Fayoum,

1814

Menia, 6180

Threshing machines

Farm equipment, machinery and transportation required to

the Fayoum Governorate

No. Item Number

15 Trailer 10

16 Mini bus 2

17 Track 1

18 Motor cycle 10

19 Car 4x4 2

20 Electricity transformer 10

21 Maintenance truck 2

22 Pulled pesticide spryer 4

23 Welding machine 2

24 Composer 2

25 Fertilizer spreader 10

26 Communication equipment 10

27 Fire equipment 4

No. Item Number

1 Tractor power 110 kW 4

2 Tractor power 65 kW 12

3 Subsoiler plow 8

4 Disc harrow 6

5 Plough 8

6 Leveler 5

7 Planter and fertilizer distributor 8

8 Seed drill 8

9 Sugar beet planter 5

10 Sugar beet digger 5

11 Baler 5

12 Harvesters 5

13 Ridger 5

14 Laser leveler 5

Farm equipment, machinery and transportation

required to the Minia Governorate

No. Item Number

14 Mini bus 2

15 Track 1

16 Motor cycle 10

17 Car 4x4 2

18 Electricity transformer 10

19 Maintenance truck 2

20 Pulled pesticide spryer 4

21 Welding machine 2

22 Composer 2

23 Fertilizer spreader 10

24 Communication equipments 10

25 Fire equipment 4

No. Item Number

1 Tractor power 110 kW 4

2 Tractor power 65 kW 12

3 Disc harrow 6

4 Plough 8

5 Leveler 5

6 Planter and fertilizer distributor 8

7 Seed drill 8

8 Sugarcane harvester 5

9 Baler 5

10 Harvesters 5

11 Ridger 5

12 Laser leveler 5

13 Trailer 10

Thank you…

e.wasif@hotmail.com