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It is within the province the shortest Both tourism and agriculture, in the south of the country, produce 80% of exports tomatoes dried, planted on an area of more than 500 acres, and the rest is distributed over the governorates of Qena, Aswan and Fayoum.
Exports are directed to the UAE, Italy, Germany, Spain, Turkey, Brazil and other countries, and have become a source of raising the income of thousands of laborers, so that they are called in local media as "red gold".
Here in Luxor, temperatures exceed 45 degrees Celsius in summer, and gradually decrease in winter. It is one of the most famous governorates in the cultivation of tomatoes, whose winter planting season began this September, and for several years it has been exported as dried; To become one of the most famous places in the world in this field, having previously gained fame in the cultivation of sugar cane and the sugar industry.
Stages of drying tomatoes
The stages of tomato processing are explained by Engineer Bahaa Ismail, Chairman of the Board of Directors of one of the companies working on the project, saying: "The process begins with bringing the fruits of tomatoes after harvesting from the center of Esna to the center of Gourna, washing them and cutting them well, then salting them".
and then "Workers stack them on special sawmills above the ground to enter the drying process under the sun for a period of 8-10 days in winter, while in summer the period is reduced to between 4-5 days"According to Ismail.
But are all tomatoes suitable for this drying process?
He answers that the tomatoes suitable for this process have special specifications, such as being strong and hard to withstand the work of processing, cutting and salting.
"season of happiness"
As for the work system, it is contracted with farmers in the region who take over the cultivation process from throwing seeds until harvest, and they consider the season of planting and harvesting tomatoes "season of happiness"; As a result of the returns generated by this fruit on their homes.
Among the workers, Atiyat Abdo, who works on a daily wage drying tomatoes inside the Qurna center, since eight in the morning in the first phase of work, and at the end of the day she gets her wages, pointing out that it is a source of livelihood for many women and young girls also who used to work to help their families.
Tomatoes are known in Egypt as "crazy" Because their prices fluctuate from day to day, up and down, affected by the different climate throughout the year, or how much is planted.
farming seasons
The drying of tomatoes is not linked to a specific time, but extends throughout the year, divided into a winter season that starts from December to April, and a summer season from June to September, explains engineer Mohamed Hashem, production manager in one of the projects.
Although the number of days of tomato drying increases in the winter season, it is the best in obtaining high quality production; Therefore, Luxor Governorate was chosen for drying in winter only.
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It is within the province the shortest Both tourism and agriculture, in the south of the country, produce 80% of exports tomatoes dried, planted on an area of more than 500 acres, and the rest is distributed over the governorates of Qena, Aswan and Fayoum.
Exports are heading to the UAE, Italy, Germany, Spain, Turkey, Brazil and other countries, and have become a source of raising the income of thousands of workforce, so that it is called in local media as “red gold”.
Here in Luxor, temperatures exceed 45 degrees Celsius in summer, and gradually decrease in winter. It is one of the most famous governorates in the cultivation of tomatoes, whose winter planting season began this September, and for several years it has been exported as dried; To become one of the most famous places in the world in this field, having previously gained fame in the cultivation of sugar cane and the sugar industry.
Stages of drying tomatoes
The stages of tomato processing are explained by Engineer Bahaa Ismail, Chairman of the Board of Directors of one of the companies working in the project, saying: “The process begins with bringing the tomatoes after harvest from Esna Center to Al-Gourna Center, washing and chopping them well, and then salting them.”
After that, “the workers stack them on special saws above the ground, to enter the drying process under the sun’s rays for a period of 8-10 days in winter, while in summer, the period decreases to between 4-5 days,” according to Ismail.
But are all tomatoes suitable for this drying process?
He answers that the tomatoes suitable for this process have special specifications, such as being strong and hard to withstand the work of processing, cutting and salting.
“Season of happiness”
As for the work system, it is contracted with farmers in the region who take over the cultivation process from throwing the seeds until harvest, and they consider the season of planting and harvesting tomatoes a “season of happiness”; As a result of the returns generated by this fruit on their homes.
Among the workers, Atiyat Abdo, who works on a daily wage drying tomatoes inside the Qurna center, since eight in the morning in the first phase of work, and at the end of the day she gets her wages, pointing out that it is a source of livelihood for many women and young girls also who used to work to help their families.
Tomatoes are known in Egypt as “Crazy” because their prices fluctuate from day to day, up and down, affected by the different climate throughout the year, or the amount of planted.
farming seasons
The drying of tomatoes is not linked to a specific time, but extends throughout the year, divided into a winter season that starts from December to April, and a summer season from June to September, explains engineer Mohamed Hashem, production manager in one of the projects.
Although the number of days of tomato drying increases in the winter season, it is the best in obtaining high quality production; Therefore, Luxor Governorate was chosen for drying in winter only.