3 acres could generate a million pounds annually...the secret of “green gold” in Egypt

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Egypt's farmers are preparing for a new agricultural season, with most of Lower Egypt's lands empty in preparation for the winter season. Ali, one of these farmers, is preparing to transfer thyme seedlings from the nursery to the rest of his land, which has an area of ​​about 3 acres, where the seeds are initially planted in an incubator of approximately 175 square meters during the month of September, and when they grow by 8-10 cm, they are transferred to the entire area of ​​the land.

In October, thyme seedlings begin in Atsa in Fayoum, 112 km southwest of Cairo, beginning the journey of “green gold,” as farmers call it, as the plant remains in the ground from 5 to 8 years according to the farmer’s desire, according to Ali Al-Fayoumi.

The thyme crop has a high economic return compared to other traditional crops in Egypt, as it is harvested 3-4 times per year, and an acre produces about 1.5 dry tons per “hatch”.

Ali, who is optimistic about the new agriculture, said: “On average, an acre produces about 4 tons of dried thyme annually. I pray to God to bless us with a good crop throughout the land area, and that the high price will continue or increase even more.”

He expected his sales to exceed one million pounds annually from his entire area, while the cost of cultivating an acre - including seeds, biofertilisers, rent and irrigation - ranges between 45 and 55 thousand pounds, reaching 60 - 70 thousand pounds with labor.

For his part, an official at Herbs Maker Import and Export Company in Fayoum, Ahmed Naji, said that the price of a ton of thyme stabilized this year at 80-85 thousand pounds, with strong demand from the markets of Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Poland.

He added: "We work in exporting aromatic plants abroad, and we have exported about 16 tons of thyme so far... and we have a strong demand for aromatic plants of thyme, marjoram, basil, fennel, and moringa."

According to recent data seen by Al Arabiya Business, the proceeds of exports of medicinal and aromatic herbs in the first 8 months of this year amounted to about $216 million, while the proceeds of their exports for the entire last year 2025 amounted to about $312.1 million.

Egypt has a strategy to increase the area of ​​medicinal and aromatic plants from 140,000 acres currently to 250,000 acres by 2030, the majority of which is concentrated in new reclaimed lands in the Western and Eastern Deserts and Sinai, according to Hossam Moheisen, head of the medicinal and aromatic plants research department at the Agricultural Research Center.

He added that Egypt has great opportunities to expand these crops in the desert, where the climatic conditions are suitable for this, with a strong global demand for them, especially in the European Union, America and Canada.

Muheisen believes that deepening industrialization to produce raw materials from these plants, which are used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, perfume and biocidal industries, will double Egypt’s dollar earnings, as well as provide more industrial and agricultural job opportunities.

He added that contract farming programs must be expanded in a way that protects the farmer from price control, and creates a fair relationship between the farmer and export companies. The Giza Seeds, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Company tops the list of the largest companies exporting medicinal and aromatic herbs with a share exceeding 15% of the export proceeds, according to Managing Director Saif Shazly to Al Arabiya Business.

He explained that the company has the largest program for contract cultivation with farms working in the field of medicinal and aromatic plants in Egypt, especially in new lands free of pesticides, heavy metals, and allergens.

Al-Shazly sees the possibility of doubling exports of medicinal and aromatic plants to about $600 million within 5 years from $316 million currently, which requires supporting the cultivation of new areas to produce a high-quality crop, stabilizing the exchange rate of the national currency against the dollar, in addition to the availability of human competencies. Two billion dollars within 5 years.

The proceeds of exports of oils manufactured from medicinal and aromatic plants, in addition to leafy herbs, amounted to about 825 million dollars last year, and if the provision of soft-interest financing support for this type of desert crops is expanded, the proceeds may reach about two billion dollars within 5 years, according to Tariq Abu Bakr, Vice President of the Export Council for Agricultural Crops.

He added to Al Arabiya Business: “In addition to the climate advantages in Egypt, US President Donald Trump’s increase in customs duties on China has created a stronger demand for importing these products from Egypt.”