§ Mr. LEWIS HASLAMasked whether it is the intention of the Egyptian Government to enforce a reduction in the number of acres on which cotton is grown; if so, what is the proportion of such reduction of acreage; and what is the estimate of the proportion per cent. of the total crops which it is estimated would have been grown under normal conditions?
§ Mr. ACLANDA Decree of 22nd September prohibited the cultivation of cotton during the year 1915 in "basin areas"—that is, in areas which are only watered in flood time—and restricted the total area under cotton to 1,000,000 feddans. Owing to the depreciation of the quantity of the 1914 crop by the ravages of the boll worms, this was modified by a Decree of 30th October, which, under the best conditions of the market in the interval, would admit of the cultivation of about 1,350,000 feddans of cotton next season. In 1914 the total area of cultivated land in Egypt was about 5,023,000 feddans, of which 1,755,000, or about 35 per cent., were planted with cotton. In 1915 the total area of cultivated land in Egypt will probably be 5,300,000 feddans, owing to the satisfactory Nile flood. Assuming, therefore, that the cotton area will be 1,350,000 feddans, the proportion will be 25½ per cent. of the total area, including the basins, and nearly 77 per cent. of the area under cotton in 1914. In the areas where cotton is prohibited the cultivation of cereals and beans is being recommended by the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture, and is being largely adopted.