Opening by HE Maged George, Minister of Environment

BENIFICIAL USE OF RICE STRAW

In 2009, Wageningen University and Research Centre, in collaboration with the Embassy and commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, performs a study for beneficial use of rice straw in Egypt. Goal of the study is to formulate recommendations to improve recycling of rice straw, which are suitable in the situation of the Egyptian agriculture. A mission was performed in the spring of 2009, in which the current situation was discussed with stakeholders from universities, ministries and private sector. Based upon these discussions, a seminar was organised, under the patronage of the minister of Agriculture & Land Reclamation and the minister of Environment, during which an overview was given of the current situation and practices were presented of recycling applications in other rice producing areas in the world. Recommendations will be presented to the ministers of Agriculture and of Environment later in 2009.

BACKGROUND

Egypt is facing a high population growth rate, which demands for an increase in agricultural production efficiency. This is at present more urgent with high food prices and demands altogether for a lesser dependency on food imports. Consequently, agricultural waste and field residues will only increase in the future. At present, these waste streams are not economically re-used and will create even larger problems for air and surface water pollution and having therefore a negative effect on people and planet.

There is a general awareness in Egypt that field burning of agricultural residues leads to unacceptable air quality. This is partly brought about by recent reports on what is locally known as “the Black Cloud” in the media. Probably the most prominent example of this is rice straw, of which nearly 3 million tons per year is burned in the field, creating both an economic waste and an environmental problem. An integrated approach is needed in order to make optimal efficient use of agricultural produce and by-products. In view of the actual raising of food prices, high population growth rate, and higher energy prices in Egypt, efficiency and increasing of the whole production chain process becomes more important. In this context, the beneficial re-use of agricultural waste will be economically profitable for both the farmer and the industry, environmentally sound by better using the biomass (bio-based economy), and will add to human health as large scale rice straw burning is reduced leading to less air pollution in Cairo and other areas in the Nile Delta.
 

The workshop is funded by the Dutch government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and organised by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cairo and Wageningen University and Research Centre.

SEMINAR

A successful seminar was organised in June 2009 in Cairo, attended by approximately 100 persons from concerned ministries, universities, private enterprises and others interested. The minister of Environment, H E Maged George, opened the seminar and after a short introduction of Dr. Hans van der Beek, Agricultural Counsellor at the Embassy, 10 presentations were given. All presentations are to be consulted on the website:  http://www.biomassandbioenergy.nl/ricestraw.htm#Indicative_Workshop_Programme,_2009.

A summary of the discussions will be made available at a later stage.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations are to be expected in the autumn of 2009, and will be presented to the two concerned ministers. They will also be placed on this website.