Randa Achmawi, special report for ANBA
Cairo – Cotton is deeply rooted in the Egyptian culture. The product started being cultivated in the Arab country in 1821 and had its production process transmitted from generation to generation. Called the "white gold", Egyptian cotton, which had its boom on the foreign market in 1860, is well known and used by great global brands like Kenzo and Chanel. Its history, however, is closely connected to the history of Egypt itself.
Over many years the product was considered the king of agriculture and was the livelihood of most Egyptian families. "The hopes and expectations of youngsters were focussed on the harvest period. Many of them waited impatiently so as to get married during the harvest period. At that period families always bought new clothes and paid their debts. All projects were concentrated on the harvest time. Leisure organizations waited for the stuffed-pocketed farmers to come and enjoy themselves," explained Tewfic Youssef Tewfic, of the Ministry of Agriculture of Egypt.
According to Tewfic, the kind of land in Egypt, together with the climate conditions, the sun and humidity at perfect measures, favoured the quality of cotton produced in the country. According to Tewfic, Egypt also does constant research on cottonseeds. "Whenever a problem that affects the cotton in some way is detected, we employ techniques for correction," he explained.
Cotton is also the main Egyptian export product. Nowadays, however, the country also produces other crops, like potatoes, rice and onions. "Cotton represents 12% of our sector and is our main export culture. We prepared our agricultural policy focussing mainly on cotton," stated Tewfic. The cotton harvest takes place in Egypt between the months of August and October.
*Translated by Mark Ament
