The Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture has adopted a package of policies and programs to enhance the role of the agricultural sector in achieving food security and providing basic food needs. Indeed, the past period has witnessed unprecedented achievements and renaissance in land reclamation projects, development of the Egyptian countryside, and growth in agricultural exports.

But despite these achievements, there are still many challenges facing this sector towards achieving self-sufficiency in many commodities and penetrating global markets.

In this context, Canada Egypt Business Council and the Egyptian Business Council for International Cooperation held a forum entitled: “Agriculture Challenges in Egypt and Current Opportunities” featuring; H.E. Dr. El-Sayed El-Quseir; Minister of Agriculture.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Motaz Raslan; chairman of CEBC and ECIC mentioned that Adopting a package of policies and programs to achieve food security and provide basic food needs has led to a major renaissance in land reclamation projects, development of the Egyptian countryside, and growth in agricultural exports, pointing to President Sisi’s inauguration of the first phase of the agricultural industrialization project, silos and logistics zone, and the opening of the harvest season at the Egypt Future Authority.

Eng. Motaz pointed to the importance of the agricultural sector under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El -Sisi, indicating that it is considered a priority in providing food, employment and increasing national income, in addition to supporting agricultural industrialization and providing raw materials for industry.

H.E. Dr. El-Sayed El-Quseir; Minister of Agriculture commenced his speech stressing that 2 million acres have been reclaimed and entered, and during the next phase they aim to reclaim and enter another 2 million acres, thus adding 4 million acres as a new addition to agricultural land.

H.E. Dr. El-Sayed El-Quseir added that the state is implementing projects in many regions across the Republic, most notably Egypt’s Future, which is being implemented in the New Delta, and agricultural projects being implemented in Toshka, Central and North Sinai, Beni Suef, Minya, and Sadat.

Then the Minister  stressed that the agricultural sector has witnessed an unprecedented renaissance and that it contributes about 15% of the gross domestic product, and its contribution rates can jump to 17 and 20%, in addition to its contribution to exports ranging from 18 to 20% and its contribution to increasing the added value.

The Minister concluded his speech stressing that Egypt’s agricultural exports for the first time reached 7.5 million tons worth $3.5 billion, and at the beginning of this year it achieved an increase of 300 thousand tons, an increase over the similar period, and that we export 400 products to 110 countries

For his part, Eng. Abdelsalam El-Gabaly; Chairman of the Senate Agriculture & Irrigation Committee explained that our water needs are 114 billion cubic meters, while our share is 55 billion cubic meters. Therefore, it was necessary to establish giant stations to recycle agricultural wastewater, which the state has already implemented.

He also added that the reclamation of 4 million acres represents more than what has been reclaimed in 60 years, and that this represents a miracle by all standards.

Eng. Abdelsalam El-Gabaly stressed that agricultural investment has become a promising and diversified investment and a major input into many industries, stressing that the local component in agricultural investment represents 80%.

Before ending the session, he pointed to the problem of old lands and the fragmentation of land ownership, stressing that this problem requires the necessity of issuing legislation that completely stops the fragmentation of agricultural tenure by preventing its division in cases of inheritance.

Then the floor was opened for questions and answers where many inquiries and ideas were discussed by the participants of the seminar.