Ramadan is originally from Dakhla and completed an agricultural degree there. He came to Abu Minqar to cultivate his uncle’s land in Bir 1. His father and uncle purchased 6 feddan of land each in Abu Minqar 19 years ago. As the uncle now lives in Dakhla, Ramadan and his father cultivate the combined 12 feddan the family owns. Because it is such a large plot of land, they share 6 feddan with other farmers. Under this arrangement,
Ramadan pays 200 pounds per year per 6 feddan to the government, Ramadan pays 50% of the cost for fertilizers and seeds for the shared land, while taking 50% of the harvest in return (this can be either the actual field crop or the revenue from selling the crop on the market). Sharing agreements such as this one are common in Abu Minqar, and are established mostly in an ad hoc way. Land owners ask around in the neighbourhood if anyone would be interested in sharing land.
Ramadan does not separate the date palm seedlings, as he wants 3 to 4 trees to grow on one stem. Date palm seedlings in the oasis are comparatively cheap, costing L.E. 10 pounds per seedling. By comparison, in
Cairo a small seedling costs around 120 L.E., for a larger tree up to L.E. 300.
