Egypt announces ambitious agricultural project for future food security – The National

Egypt announces ambitious agricultural project for future food security – The National

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi began the first phase of a sprawling agricultural development project on Monday, aiming to improve Egypt's food security and reduce its reliance on imports.The Future of Egypt project seeks to reclaim about 1.8 million hectares of land by 2030, in addition to modernising irrigation systems and increasing agricultural production.The project, led by the state’s Future of Egypt Authority, was launched on Monday at a ceremony marking the start of the 2024 wheat harvest season.Col Bahaa El Ghanam, executive director of the authority, outlined plans to replace imports of two million tonnes of wheat, 180,000 tonnes of corn and 360,000 tonnes of sugar annually, saving $3.7 billion in foreign currency. He also set a goal of increasing Egypt's agricultural exports by 20 to 25 per cent over the next five years.An boy carries a rack full of bread at Bulaq district in Cairo. EPAAs part of the project, 24 grain silos with a combined storage capacity of more than 100,000 tonnes have already been constructed by China's Famsun Group and will begin operating for this harvest season.Notably, the silos contract was paid in Egyptian pounds rather than dollars to alleviate pressure on Egypt's foreign currency