Wael al-Sayed, an Egyptian jasmine picker, has been gathering blossoms at night in the Nile Delta, supplying top global perfume makers for years. Lately, however, his basket feels lighter, and the rich fragrance is diminishing.
“It’s the heat,” said Sayed, 45, who has spent nearly ten years working in Shubra Balula, a quiet village about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Cairo, which is a vital hub for Egypt’s jasmine industry.
As temperatures climb, he notes, the flowers bloom less, and his daily harvest has shrunk from six kilograms to just two or three over the past two years.
In this fertile delta region, jasmine has been the livelihood for thousands like Sayed’s family for generations. However, rising temperatures, extended dry spells, and climate-related pests now threaten that legacy.
From June to October, families, including children, traditionally enter the fields between midnight and dawn to hand-pick jasmine at peak fragrance.
With declining yields, some have left the trade, while those remaining work longer hours.
More children are being involved to help, often staying up all night to pick before attending school.
Child labor is widespread in Egypt, with 4.2 million children working in agriculture, industry, and services, often under unsafe conditions, according to a 2023 state study.
This year, Sayed brought two of his children, just nine and 10 years old, to join him and his wife on their 350-square-meter (3,800-square-foot) plot.
“We have no other choice,” Sayed said.
– Too Hot to Bloom –
According to A Fakhry & Co, Egypt’s largest processor, the country produces nearly half of the world’s jasmine concrete, a waxy extract crucial for designer fragrances and a multi-million dollar export.
In the 1970s, Egypt produced 11 tonnes of jasmine concrete annually, according to the International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma Trades.
Now, A Fakhry & Co reports that production has fallen to 6.5 tonnes.
Ali Emara, 78, who has picked jasmine since age 12, recalls summers being hot, “but not like now.”
Mohamed Bassiouny, 56, and his four sons have seen their harvest cut from 15 to seven kilograms, now taking over eight hours to fill a basket.
The region’s jasmine is highly sensitive to heat and humidity, said Karim Elgendy from the Carboun Institute, a Dutch climate and energy think tank.
“Higher temperatures can disrupt flowering, reduce oil concentration, and introduce stress that lowers yield,” Elgendy told AFP.
A 2023 report by the International Energy Agency found Egypt’s temperature rose 0.38°C per decade (2000–2020), exceeding the global average.
The heat affects the jasmine’s scent strength, diminishing the value of the extracted oil, said Badr Atef, manager of A Fakhry & Co.
Meanwhile, pests like spider mites and leaf worms thrive in hotter, drier conditions, adding to the strain.
Alexandre Levet, CEO of the French Fragrance House in Grasse, noted that the industry is globally facing the effects of climate change.
“We have dozens of natural ingredients already suffering from climate change,” he said, explaining that new origins for products are emerging as local climates shift.
– Villages at Risk –
With the Nile Delta vulnerable to rising Mediterranean water levels affecting soil salinity, jasmine farmers are at the forefront of a warming planet.
The laborers are “at the mercy of this huge system entirely on their own,” said rural sociologist Saker El Nour, with “no stake” in the industry relying on their labor.
Global brands charge up to $6,000 per kilogram of jasmine absolute, the pure aromatic oil from the concrete used by perfumeries, while Egyptian pickers earn just 105 Egyptian pounds ($2) per kilogram.
A tonne of flowers yields only 2–3 kilograms of concrete and less than half that in pure essential oil, enough for around 100 perfume bottles.
“What’s 100 pounds worth today? Nothing,” said Sayed.
Egypt’s currency has lost more than two-thirds of its value since 2022, causing inflation to skyrocket and leaving families like Sayed’s scraping by.
Last June, pickers staged a rare strike, demanding 150 pounds per kilogram. But with prices set by a few private processors and little government oversight, they only received a 10-pound increase.
Each year, farmers earn less while a warming planet threatens the community’s entire livelihood.
“Villages like this may lose their viability entirely,” Elgendy warned.
