EGYPT

PLANT NUTRIENT RESOURCES

 

Egypt has a long tradition of using mineral fertilizers, its first use of Chilean nitrates dating back to 1902.  For over thirty years all mineral fertilizers were imported, until the local production of phosphate fertilizers started in 1936 and later the production of nitrogen fertilizers in 1951.  The great demand for food, highly productive soil, availability of good quality irrigation water, optimum climatic conditions, and the use of new technology have contributed to a continuous increase in fertilizer production and thus, in fertilizer use.  The increase in fertilizers use is influenced mainly by the following factors: cropping index and rotation, use of high yielding cultivars, degree of cultivation of newly reclaimed areas, requirements for subsidized fertilizers determined by the Ministry of Agriculture each season, amount of subsidies available for fertilizers, local production and availability of  fertilizers when they are needed. Tables 1 and 2 show the quantities of  fertilizers distributed to farmers by the Principal Bank for Development and Agricultural Credit (PBDAC) between 1970 and 1990, together with the official fertilizer requirements (an amount fixed by Ministerial Decree each season) for the years 1981/2 until 1988/9.

Until recently, fertilizers have been used mainly in the form of straight fertilizers (Table 3). The major forms of nitrogen fertilizers used are calcium nitrate, ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate, and urea, while phosphate fertilizers are superphosphate, improved or double superphosphate and triple superphosphate.  Only one potassium fertilizer is used, namely potassium sulphate.  Straight fertilizers are still the major fertilizers used in traditional agriculture.  Compound soil fertilizers were once imported for trial purposes (Table 4).  Very small amounts of imported soluble compound fertilizers (Table 5) are used mainly in the new agricultural areas with unconventional irrigation systems - drip, pivot, and sprinkler-irrigation.

From 1970 until 1973 the use of N, and until 1974 the use of P2O5 was more or less stagnated; since then in general, there has been a gradual increase.  The use of K2O has remained very low compared with that of N and P2O5 because it was believed that the high exchangeable-K content of the soil was adequate for most crops except those with a high starch content, as well as some vegetables and fruits (Serry 1980).  However, as the research on potassium has increased (Faizy 1980) and, taking modern concepts of plant nutrition into consideration, it has been found that the K2O requirement of crops is much greater than was previously estimated (El- Fouly 1984, 1989; Abdel- Hadi 1989).  Since 1975, a gradual increase in K2O consumption has been recorded (PBDAC 1986).  This trend is leading to a more balanced ratio of fertilizers applied, instead of favouring only N; it also reflects the real needs of  crops more accurately.

It shows that farmers are becoming more convinced of the need for potash.  In 1985, the first official estimation of the K2O requirement was carried out. 
The difference between the actual distribution of fertilizers by PBDAC and the estimated need is due mainly to the unavailability of fertilizers at certain times rather than the unwillingness of the farmers to use them.

Production and importation of fertilizers

local production of nitrogen and superphosphate

The fertilizer industry in Egypt started in 1936 by producing superphosphate from locally available raw material. In 1951 the first locally produced N fertilizer , namely calcium nitrate, came on to the market. Since then, the capacity of existing production plants has increased and new plants have been built (Aglan 1987; NSC 1981). Details of Egyptian companies producing mineral fertilizers are given in Table 6 No potash fertilizers are produced in Egypt due to the lack of raw material , but it was reported recently that some local potash deposits had been found. The production of N and P2O5 fertilizers has increased markedly over the last decade. In the late 1980s, production exceeded 600 000 t N and 128000 t P2O5 compared with 118 000 t N and 59 000 t P in 1970. Detailed data on the production , consumption , and trade in N, P2O5, and K2O since 1962 is given in AppendixTables (1 , 2, and 3).
 

Rock phosphate for production of phosphatic fertilizers is available , but sulphur is mainly imported and partially produced by the Red Sea oil industry .Another major constraint in the fertilizer industry is the subsidy policy, for fertilizers  are delivered to the PBDAC at a price far below the production cost (CAPMAS 1982).
A private fertilizer company in Egypt is now providing farmers with a variety of different NPK formulations, using local sources of N and P2O5 and imported K2O.

Importation of fertilizers

Despite the increasing local production of N and P fertilizers, their imports are considerable . The value of imports has reached two maxima in excess of LE 80 million , the first in 1974-5, followed by a decrease, followed by a second peak in 1985/6 (Table 7 and 9) The main countries exporting fertilizers to Egypt are given in Table8, and Table 9 shows public sector imports until 1987/8. Since 1988, the private sector has also been allowed to import fertilizers.

Subsidized NPK fertilizers are currently distributed by the PBDAC, through its stores which are distributed all over the country (Table 10). These stores can accommodate up to about three million tonns of fertilizers (El- Khashab 1989). Fertilizers are distributed to farmers according to a Ministerial Decree issued each agricultural season. This indicates fertilizer rates for each crop (Keleg et al. 1987). Appropriate amounts of fertilizer to meet the statutory rates of application are given to farmers all over the country with very limited differentiation. They are considered a compromise between different factors including real crop needs in different locations, availability, price policy, and subsidy.

Farmers are entitled to purchase specific quantities of fertilizers, by credit, according to the decree and their acreage.  The PBDAC finance the whole purchase and allocates the required funds (Table 11).

The value of fertilizers purchased by credit during the years 1983/4 - 1989/90 is shown in Table 12. Until 1986, only about 20-25 percent of the total volume of fertilizers distributed were purchased with cash.  There are no figures to show the private sector's share of fertilizer distribution since 1989.  Since 1990, companies producing fertilizers are also allowed to distribute their products directly to farmers or through channels other than the PBDAC.

Foliar fertilizers and micronutrients

It has already been mentioned that only small quantities of compound fertilizers are imported. The Abu-Qir Company is producing urea fortified with micronutrients in experimental quantities (Massoud 1983). Zinc sulphate is used extensively as a soil fertilizer in rice production. Some is produced locally, the rest is imported from different sources.
Foliar fertilizers have been registered in Egypt since 1976. In the 1960s and early 1970s characterized by the lack of NPK soil fertilizers, foliar NPK fertilizers showed positive effects on most crops. However , this is not the case now. 
The trend has been towards micronutrient foliar fertilizers (El-Fouly 1987). New regulations for fertilizer registration issued in 1986 resulted in 121 foliar fertilizers being registered until the end of March 1988, and it is estimated that the number will increase with time. Of these foliar fertilizers, 11 are produced locally, but the majority are imported. No data is available for the quantities of foliar fertilizers produced locally and those utilized all over the country. These fertilizers are not subsidized and can be handled freely in the market place, which makes data collection very difficult. Most of these fertilizers are used for cotton, where no distinction is made between NPK and micronutrient foliar fertilizers. It was estimated that in 1982, 2400 t of fertilizers were used in cotton (El-Gala 1987). In 1982-3 , the PBDAC distributed about 2000 t of foliar fertilizers (Table 13), but the amount has decreased since then . The decrease is due mainly to the stopping of NPK foliar fertilizer use in cotton. Attempts were made to rationalize the use of foliar fertilizers by categorizing them (Abdel-Hadi 1987; El-Fouly 1987) and identifying crop needs in different regions (El-Fouly 1987). An estimation of foliar usage is given in Table 14, while Table 15 shows preliminary estimations of the need for foliar micronutrient fertilizers.
The use of micronutrient foliar is likely to show a gradual increase in the future. In the meantime, and with the increasing availability of NPK soil fertilizers, the use of foliar NPK fertilizers will decrease.

Future outlook 

 Estimations of fertilizer requirements and availability until the year 2000 (Appendix Tables 4 and 5) (Aglan 1987; Mazen 1987; NSC 1981) show that for N and P a negative balance will exist, provided that the production capacity does not increase during this period. Needs for potash will double between 1985 and 2000 (NSC 1981), and this is a low estimation in view of new trends in potash research (El-Fouly 1989). There are, as yet , only preliminary estimations of the need for micronutrient fertilizers, in spite of the general recognition of their value and the increasing information on the increased needs of micronutrients for different crops. Furthermore, the whole fertilizer sector will face drastic changes in the 1990s as a result of changing production and trade policies, e.g. the removal of the price control and subsidy, production of new types of fertilizers, the increased role of the private sector, and the use of modern methods for determining crop fertilizer requirements according to varieties, location, and farming system , using soil testing and leaf analysis. In view of these changes, research institutions and agricultural extension will also have to change their policies , viewpoint, and methodology, in order to give the best advice to farmers, and to inform the industry about farmers' needs. The economics of fertilizer use in different crops will also be changed, and the environmental aspects of using fertilizers will play a greater part than at present. In view of these changes, two major projects are in progress to co-ordinate industrial and agricultural activities.  One project is the work of the Egyptian Fertilizer Development Center (UNIDO/UNDP) in collaboration with IFDC, USA (Klada 1989). The second is the NRC/GTZ project on micronutrient and other plant nutrition problems in Egypt ( El-Fouly 1989).
 
 

 
RELATED INTERNET SITES
REFERENCES