Post harvest system of cereal Grains in Egypt

Author
F. El-Lakwah
Language
English
Document Type
Publication (book)
Publisher
FAO
(if not FAO)
FAO
Country
Egypt
Commodities
cereals and grains, rice, wheat, maize
Topics
Food procurement and security, Postharvest systems management, Storage protection and postharvest physiology
Year
1995
The production of grains and main pulses in Egypt demonstrated in Table(1) indicates that the production of wheat and rice significantly increased during the period from 1989 to 1993 by approximately 50%. At present, Egypt produces about 15 million tons of grain, including 4.8 millions tons of wheat per year. Safe grain storage methods are thus of fundamental importance to ensure food supply from one harvest to the other (Piltz, 1984). Cereal grains should be handled and stored under conditions that minimize the opportunities for stored products pests to cause economic damage. This could be achieved by good design and maintenance of stores, regular inspections and quality control of stored commodities, good storage practices and performances of appropriate pest control measures. Egypt's limited arable land coupled with a large and expanding population lead to a reliance on food imports to meet one-half of food demand. Wheat, corn, vegetable oils, meat, and dairy products are the major imported commodities. Egyptian people do not suffer from malnutrition, rather they have one of the world's highest per capita caloric consumption levels. Even though the average caloric intake is sufficient, obesity and its associated disorders are more likely to be a greater health problem than nutrition.