Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, on Tuesday welcomed his Lebanese counterpart, Nizar Hani, and an accompanying delegation of senior officials and private sector representatives, for the opening of the fifth session of the Egyptian-Lebanese Joint Agricultural Technical Committee, hosted in Cairo.
Farouk highlighted the deep historical ties between Egypt and Lebanon, stressing that agriculture remains a key driver of bilateral relations. He underlined the importance of strengthening cooperation to bolster food security and meet the needs of both markets, particularly amid current regional and international challenges.
The minister pointed to the agricultural renaissance Egypt has witnessed in recent years under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, citing major national projects such as the reclamation of four million feddans, the New Egyptian Countryside Development project, and the National Greenhouses Project. He said these initiatives, along with vertical and horizontal expansion efforts and a focus on agricultural industrialisation, have placed Egypt at the forefront of regional agricultural development.
Farouk expressed hope that the committee’s work would yield practical recommendations to strengthen cooperation in food security, expertise exchange, and trade in agricultural and livestock products, serving the interests of both peoples.
For his part, Lebanese Minister Nizar Hani praised Egypt’s extensive expertise and its flagship agricultural projects, emphasising Lebanon’s desire to draw on this experience to support sustainable growth in its own agricultural sector.
The two ministers announced the formal launch of the committee’s work to establish executive mechanisms for cooperation, aimed at advancing joint objectives and enhancing economic partnership in agriculture. They also noted that the session is expected to conclude with recommendations to be drafted into memoranda of understanding, scheduled to be signed in October.
