CAIRO: A total of 59, 422 feddans (61,680 acres) of Egypt’s fertile land have been lost due to encroachments and illegal seizure of agricultural lands in the wake of the January 2011 uprising, according to an official report by the Agriculture Ministry.
According to the report, the government managed to recover only 12,790 feddans (7 percent) of the encroached farm land, Youm7 reported Friday.
During the said period, over 2.3 million infringement cases on agricultural lands have been monitored, said the report.
The encroachments on agricultural lands whether by construction or bulldozing “represent a threat to Egypt’s food security,” said the report. It called on for the necessity of adopting a legal framework to criminalize the act, as well as prevent individuals and construction companies from helping offenders to build on farmlands.
A magnified campaign to remove farmlands violations is yet to kick off in coordination with governors as well as ministries of local development, interior, electricity and housing.
Additional reporting by Ezz el-Nouby