Farag, R. (2024). Economics of irrigation water used for crops competing with rice. Egyptian Journal of Agricultural Research, 102(3), 560-572. doi: 10.21608/ejar.2024.318702.1585
Rasha M.A. Farag. "Economics of irrigation water used for crops competing with rice". Egyptian Journal of Agricultural Research, 102, 3, 2024, 560-572. doi: 10.21608/ejar.2024.318702.1585
Farag, R. (2024). 'Economics of irrigation water used for crops competing with rice', Egyptian Journal of Agricultural Research, 102(3), pp. 560-572. doi: 10.21608/ejar.2024.318702.1585
Farag, R. Economics of irrigation water used for crops competing with rice. Egyptian Journal of Agricultural Research, 2024; 102(3): 560-572. doi: 10.21608/ejar.2024.318702.1585
Economics of irrigation water used for crops competing with rice
Agricultural Economics Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
Abstract
Irrigation water is considered a strategic agricultural resource, as it is a limited resource. In addition, water resources are one of the most important components of agriculture and agricultural development in Egypt, so Egypt is interested in maximizing the efficiency of water use. Due to the limited water resources, Egypt has moved to reduce the area of rice, although it is a crop of economic importance in attracting foreign currency, and the farmer has the freedom to choose the area planted with alternative crops that achieve the same return, and this area may be for a crop that consumes large amounts of water such as corn and cotton, so it was necessary to identify the efficiency of using alternative crops for water, and its reflection on optimal use. Therefore, this research aims to answer some questions: When making a decision to reduce the area of rice, did farmers move to plant other crops that achieve the same return without taking into account the amounts of water used? What is the efficiency of water use for alternative crops to rice? What is the economic value of the irrigation water used Starting from 2018, the year in which the decision to reduce the rice area was implemented. The area of maize decreased by a rate of 4.7% during (2013-2022), which confirms that the farmer does not grow maize as an alternative crop to rice. As for the cotton crop, it increased, which shows that the farmer has made the decision to grow cotton instead of the area of rice and cotton is more economically efficient than maize in the use of irrigation water according to the net return index per water unit (1000 m3), which is estimated at about 2715 LE, while for maize it is about 1137 LE. The productivity of the water unit for cotton was about 0.30 tons, while for maize it was about 0.9 tons. Also, the cotton crop is more efficient according to the return index per LE from irrigation costs, as its average was about 9.7 LE, while the value of the same index for maize was about 5.3 LE. It is recommended to increase the areas of maize and cotton cultivation in some Lower Egypt governorates such as Dakahlia, Kafr El-Sheikh, Menoufia, Sharkia, and Beheira due to the high production efficiency of using irrigation water. It is also preferable to reduce the areas of maize and cotton cultivation in Upper Egypt governorates, especially Aswan, Qena, and the New Valley governorates, due to the high-water requirements for production and the low productivity per Feddan compared to the rest of the governorates of the Republic. The shadow price of irrigation water for maize and cotton crops was estimated at about 215.1 and 248.3 LE / m3, respectively.
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