This monitoring period covers the growth and harvest of the main summer crops, which are maize, rice and cotton. Winter wheat sowing is about to start in early November.  The current monitoring period is the dry season in Egypt and the average rainfall was just 3 mm, lower than the 15-years average (15YA) by 62%. However, the rainfall profile showed an unusually high amount that fell late in the reporting period in the Nile Delta and the southern coast of the Mediterranean. The average temperature was 26.3 °C (+0.8 °C). The temperature profile fluctuated around the 15YA. Both RADPAR (-1.8%) and BIOMSS (-19%) were below the 15YA. The regional analysis revealed that the decrease in BIOMSS was mainly in the Nile Delta and the southern coast of the Mediterranean. The nationwide NDVI profile started below the 5-years average (5YA) then it rose above the 5YA until the end of September, and subsequently dropped below the 5YA by the end of this monitoring period. The NDVI spatial pattern shows that 49.9% of the cultivated area was above the 5YA, 20.5 % fluctuated around the 5YA, and 29.7% was below. The Vegetation Condition Index (VCIx) map shows that the condition of the current crops is satisfactory where the dominant VCIx values range between 0.80 and 1. This finding agrees with the whole country VCIx value at 0.79. CALF exceeded the 5YA by 7%. In general, the crop conditions were favourable.

Regional Analysis

Based on crop planting systems, climate zones and topographical conditions, Egypt can be divided into three agro-ecological zones (AEZs), two of which are suitable for crop cultivation, namely the Nile Delta and the southern coast of the Mediterranean and the Nile Valley.  In the Nile Delta and Mediterranean coast, the average rainfall was 3 mm, while the Nile Valley recorded zero rainfall. Consequently, the rainfall in both zones was below the 15YA by 63% and 96% respectively. Since virtually all crops in Egypt are irrigated, the impact of precipitation on crop yield is limited, but additional precipitation is nevertheless always useful. In both regions, the temperature was higher than the 15YA by just 1 °C while the RADPAR was lower than the 15YA by 2%. BIOMSS fell by 21% in the Nile Delta, while it increased by only 1% for the Nile Valley. The NDVI development graph shows that crop conditions fluctuated around the average in both zones, with below-average values in October when the harvesting stage was reached. In both zones, CALF exceeded the 5YA by 7%. They also registered good VCIx values at 0.78 and 0.88 for the Nile Dela and Nile Valley respectively, confirming favourable crop conditions. Cropping Intensity estimates indicate that both of the two regions had a mixture of single and double-cropping during the investigation period.

Figure 3.14 Egypt’s crop condition, July - October 2020 

(a). Phenology of major crops

(b) Crop   condition development graph based on NDVI     (c)  Maximum VCI

(f) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI (Nile Delta (left) and Nile Valley (right))

    (g) Time series profile of rainfall                                 (h) Time series profile of temperature

Table 3.19 Egypt’s agroclimatic indicators by sub-national regions, current season's values and departure from 15YA, July - October 2020

Table 3.20 Egypt’s agronomic indicators by sub-national regions, current season’s values and departure from 15YA/5YA, July - October 2020