claiming to rationalize water;
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued his orders not to grow ornamental plants again in his country, a matter that met with wide interaction on social media platforms with rejection, support or surprise.
During the inauguration of several agricultural reclamation projects, last Saturday, in the Toshka region (southwest of the country), Sisi directed his speech to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, saying, "This is a matter, Dr. Mostafa, there is no second cultivation of ornamental plants, as long as the water point we use is suitable for fruitful plants, it remains fruitful plants." ".
In more than one place during his speech, Sisi reiterated information that the water used in the Toshka projects is agricultural wastewater that has been treated according to international standards.
The Toshka project aims to reclaim 600,000 feddans, to join a presidential plan aimed at cultivating 4 million feddans.
This comes in light of repeated government statements about Egypt's suffering from water poverty, as well as fears of a decrease in the country's share of the Nile water due to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Public turnout at seedling exhibitions in Orman Garden in Giza, south of Cairo (Al-Jazeera)
big yield
In addition to the environmental return from the cultivation of ornamental plants, which greatly contributes to reducing environmental pollution, there is an economic benefit to it that the local media have highlighted in recent years as part of a government direction to expand the cultivation of ornamental plants, but the recent presidential order required its replacement with fruitful ones. .
According to the data of the Agricultural Crops Export Council, about 45 thousand tons of flowers, ornamental plants, picking, and palms were exported at a value of $52 million during the 9 months, from September 2018 to the end of May 2019, representing 3% of the total exports.
According to the Agricultural Economics Bulletin issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, the area planted with ornamental plants between 2006 and 2014 witnessed ups and downs, reaching 2,822 acres in 2009 as a maximum and 1,196 acres at a minimum in 2014.
Egypt bans the cultivation of ornamental plants in order to rationalize water consumption (Al-Jazeera)
tree altars
In recent days, it has become a regular occurrence for calls to follow through social media platforms as local authorities cut down ornamental trees, some of which are 100 years old, according to the testimonies of residents of different neighborhoods.
Tree massacres have become a scene of daily life in Egypt https://t.co/fuSP6lCCE3
- Dr.
Magda Ghonem (@magdaghonem) July 15, 2020
The sad people over the massacres of trees in Heliopolis are preparing for them a lot, and there are many tears, rivers and bears on the earth without limits, until the Hejaz Square bridge is cut off, they started to work in it, and it has more than 60 old trees, at least, and they follow to buy coal and wood. My heart is as sad as you are.
- Marakbiano and Enough (@moh751) December 9, 2019
I wrote so and so once about the massacres of trees and that this is a grave mistake that harms the environment. The daily massacres did not stop under the noses and ears of everyone, and with their blessing in some cases, they did not stop this criminal act in the whole world, and I will not stop warning about the importance of trees.
— DR/Ashraf Ali 💎💉💊💯🇪🇬 (@starwar51) September 18, 2021
This comes in conjunction with the announcement of several government and presidential initiatives related to preserving the environment, including the "Be Prepared for Green" initiative, which includes a range of activities, including field planting.
According to data issued by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics in 2018, the green spaces that actually exist in Egypt do not exceed 5,370 million square meters, varying between botanical gardens and public parks, i.e. less than 10% of the spaces that must be provided to the population of Egypt, which is supposed to be 57 million. square meters according to international rates.
wide interaction
Al-Sisi’s announcement to ban the cultivation of ornamental plants was accompanied by a wide interaction on social media platforms, and reactions varied between support, rejection and surprise at the ban, despite the government’s announcement of huge green projects, such as the Green River project in the new administrative capital, which covers an area of 1,000 acres.
A number of social media pioneers described the decision as random, which contradicts the determinants of preserving the environment, and some ridiculed the possibility of launching campaigns to inspect homes to control ornamental plants.
Al-Sisi’s decision to ban the cultivation of ornamental plants reminds me of Mubarak’s decision to kill pigs and Sadat’s decision to ban the sale of meat.. The dictator’s sense of grandeur drives him to make random decisions in areas he knows nothing about. Specialists remain silent for fear or greed, then drummers sing the glorification of the inspiring leader..Democracy is the solution
— Alaa Al Aswany (@AlaaAswany) December 26, 2021
An acre of alfalfa can consume more water than an acre of ornamental plants, and its economic return is not comparable to ornamental plants https://t.co/revFVwNMMG
- Dr.
Magda Ghonem (@magdaghonem) December 26, 2021
Tell Cisse important ornamental plants Ptstkhaddm in
order to
improve the
quality of
life windbreaks and provide shade and reduce or limit erosion and purify the
air and water pollutants and dust and chemicals and reduce noise pollution, and the
source of
food for
wild animals
you climate Les Yabu conference 50% # Mh_mn_jepk pic .twitter.com/9OhUS37JjQ
— 🦋ŚMŚMÃ🦋 (@smsma_cat) December 26, 2021
I close the ornamental plants and
see the plastic plants because the ornamental plants consume a lot of water…
Ok, so the question is the luxury real estate projects and the compounds in which each unit overlooks the lakes of the same lake leading to the Suez Canal, and swimming pools, not one bathroom for each villa. Is this normal, or do they fill them with mineral water?!
— Mahmoud Shaker (@7ODA______) December 27, 2021
While others supported the decision to ban the cultivation of ornamental plants, as they consume a large amount of water without benefit, while fruit trees are highly beneficial.
Planting fruitful plants instead of decorations is not an invention, and many countries preceded us in it. Water with water made people eat better
— Dremadothman (@dremadothman61) December 26, 2021
Oh, he regretted his words about the trees in the public streets.. They consume large quantities of water.. Fruitful trees are not planted in their place.
You will get the same benefit and more.. and he was talking about ornamental plants with fresh water.. you can see treated water from the sewage as it happens in many countries and I saw it without affecting health like agricultural crops
- Hajj Ali Al-Mutah (@Attallah_joseph) December 26, 2021
The body of the news says replacing ornamental plants with fruit as long as there is water used for it, and this is a good thing
Why don't we dig into the trees that currently exist and irrigate them with recycled water only to purify the atmosphere from pollution
Treated water is used only in unproductive green areas and for industrial purposes https://t.co/ypOkMpTDSU
- In my despondent seat (@Rababoush) December 26, 2021
A journalist in the
Egyptian today
Taathecm on the
Sisi habit of
all affiliated to the
Egyptian today
just to Sisi Bicol that Ehna Ha go to cultivate plants that clog our deficit and move away slightly from ornamentals
Er Elly in this
conversation Ahan Ntriv him
and myself ask Bs much Bathm
Beckham Atawaith de ??
pic.twitter.com/RQIwmFFQKb
— Mohamed Hassan (@Mohamed24111421) December 27, 2021