Egypt to increase surface area of agricultural lands by 1/3

CAIRO – 22 August 2023: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi met Tuesday with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli and Minister of Agriculture Al Sayed al-Qusair to learn about the progress rate of projects aimed at enhancing the productivity of lands.

According to the presidency's press statement, those projects contributed to making Egypt among the top five worldwide in certain crops such as rice, corn, and wheat in terms of productivity.

In a related context, the president instructed continuing the governance of the circulation of fertilizers and seeds, expanding modern irrigation systems, and facilitating automation in agribusiness in order to reduce loss during harvest. He equally reiterated the role of scientific research on that front.

President Sisi was briefed on figures pertaining to fresh and processed agricultural exports that grew exponentially to exceed $7.5 billion in 2022. In that regard, the chief of state instructed maintaining the quality of Egyptian products and abiding by international standards.

Regarding the planned reclamation of lands, three million feddans (one feddan equals 4,500 square meters) to be added to Egypt's agricultural lands, currently standing at 9.4 million feddans, raising the surface area by one third.

The president underscored that the efforts deployed to develop the agricultural sector comes within the endeavors to boost the entire economy, including all its components of agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, roads, utilities, transport, and trade.

The goal is consolidating food security, creating jobs, substituting imports, boosting exports, and enhancing the living standard of citizens.