Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, met with members of the board of the Desert Land Development and Reclamation Chamber at the Federation of Egyptian Industries, headed by Amr El-Hefny, to discuss ways to increase private-sector participation in agricultural horizontal expansion projects, review the main challenges facing the sector, and consider proposed solutions to develop agricultural land reclamation and remove obstacles facing investors.
The meeting was attended by Mostafa El-Sayyad, Deputy Minister of Agriculture; Hossam Shawky, President of the Desert Research Centre; and a number of representatives of companies and investment activities affiliated with the chamber.
The meeting covered several key areas, foremost among them efforts to increase agricultural exports and open new markets for Egyptian products, as well as the main demands and challenges facing agricultural investment in desert areas.
Participants also discussed expanding the use of modern technologies in various agricultural operations and in monitoring land and crops, alongside increasing the use of renewable energy.
Farouk directed continued coordination between the chamber and the Desert Research Centre to provide technical and extension support to investors and apply the latest scientific research findings in soil and water treatment.
He said these efforts would help remove obstacles, improve the efficiency of desert land use, achieve the highest possible economic returns, support the state’s food security objectives, and advance its strategy for horizontal agricultural expansion.
Farouk stressed the Egyptian state’s commitment to providing all forms of support to the private sector as a key partner in achieving sustainable development.
He added that the Ministry of Agriculture places significant emphasis on removing obstacles facing investors in desert land reclamation and encouraging domestic and foreign investment to expand strategic agricultural projects that contribute to food security and increase agricultural exports.
