Egypt’s Farmers Syndicate has won a dispute with the government and the agro-business sector over the price of sugarcane, with a tentative agreement reached to raise the current price of EGP 620 to EGP 700 per tonne. Following negotiations between government officials, members of parliament and representatives of Egypt’s farmers, Supply Minister Ali Mosilhy informed the Farmers Syndicate that the government agreed to raise the sugarcane price purchased by sugar producers from local farmers, state-run Ahram Arabic reports. However, parliament’s Agricultural Committee member Abdel Hamid al-Demirdash said in a phone interview with private TV channel CBC on Wednesday that a solution to the sugarcane price dispute has yet to be reached, pointing out that it is unclear how costs and expenses of farmers and sugar producers are calculated by the government. Meanwhile, Farmers Syndicate head Hassan Abo Saddam told CBC on Wednesday that despite a tentative deal for a price increase having been achieved, EGP 700 is still too low, describing it as “unfair” to farmers. The Syndicate had previously requested the price be raised to EGP 1000, “in order for it to be fair to farmers,” he went on to remark. Earlier this week,…
