Egypt provides some of the highest sugarcane yields in the world. Demand exceeds production however, so the Egyptian government imports sugar as well. With more than nine sugarcane refineries in Upper Egypt alone, the government can be slow in paying the refineries, who are then slow in paying the farmers, and even then, the farmers are paid a fraction of the full amount due. Egyptians love their sweets; if there is one national beverage unifying them, it is sugarcane juice called asab.

 

 

Original photography, shot on location, by Mary Beth Clark.Back to Album