Siwa Farms

1. Kenaf: Food, Fiber and Forage For the New Millennium Siwa Farms

2. Siwa Farms Introduction The intention in 2007 was to create an Agricultural Cooperative on 680 feddans of recently opened agriculture land,35 km East of Siwa town in the Libyan Desert. Today 220 feddans remain.

3. Siwa Farms Mission Siwa Farms was intended to engage in agricultural and light manufacturing activities designed to meet domestic and international demands for food, fiber and forage products, while meeting its social responsibilities to the community of Siwa and Egypt.

4. Siwa Farms Vision Siwa Farms intended to be the first and most significant grower and marketer of a high-fiber plant designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the “most useful” alternative cultivar of the 21st Century.

5. Siwa Farms Branding Siwa Farms intended to become a brand name for a variety of kenaf-based products, as well as such items as kenaf pollen honey, dried kenaf powders for cosmetics and nutrition, high-benefit kenaf seed oils, and retailer of Siwa Farms Certified Kenaf Seed, in addition to traditional products such as olives and date palms.

6. Siwa Farms Products A variety products have been with kenaf fibers, including paper products, construction materials, animal bedding, plastics, health foods, essential oils, and even components of automobiles.

7. Siwa Farms More Products New uses of kenaf products are continually being identified

8. Introducing: hibiscus cannabinus L.(Also known as kenaf) • Selected as the USDA’s top 5000 most useful plants in the 1980’s, kenaf is ideally suited for Egypt. Grown here as “teal” its bast is used primarily for handicrafts. • Its pulpy, white core can be used to make paper and newsprint because of its high fiber content and natural whiteness.

9. Kenaf research underway globally • In USA, kenaf research is finding new uses for the plant. But the ecology-minded Europe Union has embraced natural fiber products in all its manufactured forms.

10. Kenaf’s unusual properties • Member of the cotton and okra family (malvaceae), native to Sub Sahara Africa. • Requires little fertilizer, weed control, chemicals or pesticide. • Best grown between 30° S and 45° N • No known pests or plant diseases • Saline resistant up to 4.2dS/m • Grows to 12-14 feet high in 90 days • Can be grown in a variety of soils but does best in sandy, irrigated soil suitable for cotton.

11. Newsprint is essential print medium commodity • Newsprint is most a newspaper’s most expensive manufacturing component. • Egypt imports over 150,000 metric tonnes annually for $87.5 million (figure 2007) • Local supply at whim of wood pulp newsprint producers and unions in Europe and N. America • Adequate newsprint supply facilitates newspaper start-up, growth and diversity One ton of newsprint requires the wood of 17 trees that have taken more than a decade to grow. Kenaf grows to maturity in 120-150 days—twice a year.

12. More potentials of kenaf • Kenaf has been grown in Egypt for 4,000 years but its commercial value is unknown and underutilized • Fibers have non-printing uses (cat litter, animal bedding, environmental cleanup of oil spills, roofing felt, fiber mats for automobiles, etc.) • Could be huge agriculture cash crop in Egypt with export potential.

13. K-newsprint potential • Newprint and paper manufacture offers highest and most profitable use of kenaf • Properly irrigated at 50-60 cl over 3-5 months, some varieties of kenaf can grow up to five meters high. • Yields can be 10-15 tons per acre. Leafy byproducts can be composted, used as animal feed or plowed under to build soil. If the plant’s yearly potential is exploited, each acre could generate $8,000 annually.

14. Advantages of k-paper • Only slight modifications needed to convert existing machinery to produce paper • Uses 25% less energy than wood pulping, and requires the same tonnage of 3 tons kenaf for 1 ton paper • Bleaching agent is H2O2 rather than active ClO2 (toxic chlorine dioxide) • Substitutes for toxic kraft (wood chips soaking in chlorine, which is currently imported by Egyptian papermakers. • K-paper environmental friendly; can be recycled; completely biodegradable; might even be fed to cattle when mixed with silage.

15. Irrigating Desert Lands Siwa Farms planned to put 500 feddans under sprinkler irrigation in 2007-2008 to grow kenaf and high value rotation crops Irrigation from wells in other land in Siwa that draw fossil water from up to 1,000 meters below the desert – this was also intended for our land Plans, unfortunately, could not be realized because the cooperative fell apart.

16. No special farm equipment needed • Cane & cotton equipment can be modified to plant or harvest kenaf

17. Quantity/quality kenaf • Tests by Siwa Farms have been conducted in June 2007 on five seed varieties chosen by agronomists for Siwa’s climate and soil conditions.

18. Siwa Farms Financial Initial capitalization of Siwa Farms was calculated to be $500,000 in 2007. The cooperative was seeking an infusion of $500,000 to $800,000 over five years for capital improvements to cover costs of power generators, wells, irrigation and farm equipment and buildings. Investors can expect a substantial return on investment, and a pay back within five years.

19. Siwa Farms Financial In order to attract investments initial investments in testing and industrial production were needed which was not available. The needed investments did not come and the cooperative fell apart. Only 220 feddans remain. Twenty feddan have since 2007 been cultivated with olives. The remaining 200 feddan still needs to be cultivated. Investors and experts are invited to contact us.

20. Thank you Contact: • Siwa Farms Drs. Cornelis Hulsman kshulsman@yahoo.com Tel: 0020-1005684877