The agriculture department in the Nile delta governorate of Kafr El Sheikh on Saturday said that the rice harvest season in the governorate has kicked off.

In statements earlier in the day, Undersecretary of the agriculture ministry Mohamed Abdullah said that the total area planted with rice in Kafr El Sheikh reached 248,000 feddans this season.

No complaints that there is a shortage in irrigation water in the governorate were recorded, Abdullah said, attributing this to a plan adopted by the ministry to rationalize using the irrigation water.

Egypt's current yearly consumption of water amounts to nearly 83 billion cubic meters, while its share of Nile water stands at 55.5 billion cubic meters, with a current yearly shortage of 23 billion cubic meters.