Who will protect farmers rights in Egypt?

After the decrease of the prices of cotton "white gold", Egypt is seeing the collapse of farmers incomes and the deterioration of the textile industry.

With the beginning of the school season and the end of the elections, farmers were surprised with the disaster of reducing the prices of cotton that have reached about 500 [Egyptian] pounds per quintal after being 1000 [Egyptian] pounds per quintal in 2003. And with the increase of the prices of the agrarian requirements (seeds, fertilizers and pesticides), the increase of the feddan's rental value in the past years (from 70 pounds per feddan [1 feddan = 4.2 ha.] a year in 1992 to 600 pounds in 1997 to 300 pounds in 2005) and because of the increase of the farming expenses (irrigation, plowing and harvesting), farmers incomes have collapsed especially after the decrease of the prices of their production which have negatively effected their economic and social conditions, and most of the cotton growing farmers couldn't afford buying school clothes for their children, others couldn't afford to pay the school expenses and tolls which made them take their children (especially girls) out of schools. Despite all that, the statements of the ministry of agriculture are just "newspapers talks", especially about establishing a committee to supervise the cotton marketing process and define its' prices.

We see that cotton plantation areas are decreasing from one million feddans in the season of 1989/1990 to 550 thousand feddans in the season of 2003/2004. This reduction in the cotton price has led to major losses in the cotton manufacturing companies that have reached about 2.3 billion pounds, in addition to the reduction of the exporting rates, as in 2003, the total amount of cotton exported by Egypt was 62.725 tons with a value of 170 million dollars, while in 2004, this amount was reduced to 33.260 tons with a values of 110 million dollars. Because of this reduction in prices, the debts of the spinning and textile companies to banks have reached about 8 billion pounds, 6 companies from the business sector have stopped working, other companies were offered for sale and more than one million spinning and textile workers who represent about 20% of the total manpower (working

force) in the industrial sector face displacement. In addition to that, the share of raw Egyptian cotton from the total Egyptian exported goods has decreased from 11% in 1985 to 5% in 2004, the share of cotton textile exports (half manufactured) have also decreased from 87% in 1985 to 50% in 1995 to 47% in 2003, which threatens the future of the spinning and textile industry in Egypt.

The withdrawal of the Egyptian cotton (long staple) production in the past years didn't encourage our government to find solutions for this problem, but the government persisted in implementing its' policies that lead to wasting our wealth and increasing the poverty of citizens.

The LCHR wonders, didn't the government notice that a number of Egyptian companies who work in both public and private sectors have imported about 1.2 million quintals of cotton because of its' low prices in some of the outside markets?

Field notes received by the LCHR from different rural areas state that cotton this year has faced a new disaster because of the spread of the cotton worm that have ruined the harvest. As in Sherbeen area

While selling the production will not cover half these costs, and this is a result of the free market policies.

In Borg El Arab

confirmed that farmers didn't find the necessary pesticides to fight the cotton worm, as all of the pesticides that they used didn't work.

Agrarian guides told them that most of these pesticides cause cancer, and gave them alternative antidotes, but it didn't succeed in fighting the cotton worm that ruined more than 50% of the harvest, and there were other areas that were completely destroyed.

In Kafr El Sheikh, a farmer called "El Sayed Owais" stated that the cotton worm have ruined vast areas of cotton, and the attempts of the farmers and the agrarian association guides have failed to eliminate it, as it has eaten the cotton bolls and leafs in many areas, such as: Abu Zeyada, El Hamra, Desooq and El Hamool.

In Qalubeya, a farmer called "Omran Mahmoud" accused the agricultural bureau of destroying the cotton harvest because of the low quality fertilizers that it has delivered to the farmers, and the seeds have produced a blight infected harvest that couldn't be stopped or fought which have led to extreme losses. He also accused the ministry of turning their lands and plantations into experimental fields for seeds imported from abroad which have led to the increase of the rate of being infected with blights.

In El Menya, a farmer called "Gamal Mousa" stated that a big number of cotton farmers had to root out the harvest to avoid more losses because of the spread of the cotton worm, and they used it as cattle fodder. "Nageh Ibrahim" from El Adwa station stated that the existing pesticides in the markets are so weak in fighting the cotton worm hih have led to it' spread heavily. "Saleh Mahmoud" from Deer Moas stated that the yearly production have decreased from 10 quintals of cotton to 2 quintals because of the bad fertilizers delivered by the ministry of agriculture.

In El Shaqrqeya, a farmer called "Mohamed Beshara" confirmed that cotton bolls were infected with blights that led to cotton falling from its' trees, and because of putting parasites on the cotton leafs to protect it, thse leafs didn't fall, which have led to covering the cotton bolls for a long time, which prevented sunshine from it and led to its' atrophy.

In El Gharbeya, a farmer called "Hesein Owais" stated that cotton fields have turned into lumber [?] after the attacks of the cotton worm because of the failure of pesticides in fighting it, and some farmers had to root out large areas of infected cotton to grow other types of crops.

In El Fayoum, a farmers called "Magdy El Melegy" stated that the price of the cotton quintal has reached 480 pounds which has led to extreme losses for the farmers, as some of them couldn't pay the rent that has reached 3000 pounds which will lead to their eviction and displacement of their families, especially of the increase of the prices of the necessary needs and the approach of Ramadan and Eid El Fitr (Lesser Bairam). The LCHR fears the continue of the cotton crisis.

Through this publication, the LCHR presents farmers complaints to the ministry of agriculture to solve them, and the LCHR demands the ministry to:

• Establish a seed bank.
• Preserve natural nurseries (arboretums).
• Activate the role of the supervising committees on the seed and pesticide markets.
• Support the agrarian production requirements especially fertilizers.
• Activate the role of the marketing crops pricing fund to support farmers rights in safe agriculture.
• Compensate farmers for their losses because of its' contradicting policies and reconsider these policies that lead to the deterioration of farmers incomes and violating their rights in a decent life.

For more information, please contact:

Land Centre for Human Rights
122 el Gala