Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture:'We boost regional food security'

CAIRO - 19 June 2026: Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, emphasized in his speech before the General Assembly of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) Egypt's full readiness to place its technical and research expertise and capabilities at the service of the organization's member states.

He affirmed Egypt's commitment to providing technical support, capacity building, and knowledge transfer in the fields of land reclamation, water resource management, agricultural research, and modern technology, thereby enhancing the collective capacity of Arab countries to face food security challenges and climate change.

The Minister of Agriculture extended his gratitude and appreciation to Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for Saudi Arabia's outstanding presidency of the 38th session of the General Assembly over the past two years, while wishing the brotherly state of Kuwait the best of luck in its current presidency of the 39th session.

In the speech delivered on his behalf by Saad Moussa, Vice President of the Agricultural Research Center and Supervisor of External Agricultural Relations, during his participation in the ministerial meeting of the General Assembly in its thirty-ninth session, the Minister pointed out that Egypt has significantly contributed to the regional food security system, particularly during the exceptional periods the region has recently undergone.

Meanwhile, Moussa praised the leading and pivotal role played by the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development in supporting regional development through its technical programs, qualitative initiatives, and regional projects aimed at capacity building and knowledge transfer.

He stressed Egypt’s pride in its close and fruitful cooperation with the organization, praising the vital role played by the organization’s regional office in Cairo, which serves as an effective liaison link for continuous coordination and the execution of joint projects.

Moussa emphasized in the speech that the issue of food security has evolved into a strategic matter closely tied to national security, as well as economic and social stability for countries. He also reviewed the ambitious vision adopted by the Egyptian state to enhance its productive capacities and achieve a breakthrough in food security rates through mega national projects launched in recent years.

He explained that these projects included the establishment of the "New Delta" project, which aims to reclaim and cultivate more than 2.2 million acres (Feddans), alongside expansion in the Toshka and East Oweinat projects, and the creation of integrated agricultural communities in Central and South Sinai, in addition to several other reclamation projects. Together, these initiatives are targeted to add approximately 4.5 million acres to Egypt's agricultural land, thereby boosting the production capacity of the agricultural sector and supporting national and regional food security.

Moussa further highlighted the significant attention paid by the Egyptian state to the sustainable management of water resources through implementing broad programs to modernize and develop field irrigation systems, and expanding water reuse and treatment via major national projects.

This achieves maximum utilization and raises resource efficiency in light of the growing water and climate challenges facing the region. He also touched upon Egypt's efforts in developing the silos and agricultural logistics system, securing strategic reserves of basic commodities, and adopting new agricultural policies that have significantly enhanced the state's capacity to confront global crises and fluctuations, ensuring the provision of food supplies to citizens.

He affirmed that despite the geopolitical and economic challenges witnessed by the region and the world, Egypt has remained keen to maintain its role as a secure supplier of various agricultural and food products to Arab markets.

He noted the continuous flow of Egyptian exports to support the stability of food supplies in brotherly Arab countries, reflecting Egypt's belief in the importance of Arab agricultural integration, while reiterating the Ministry of Agriculture's commitment to cooperation and joint action to achieve Arab food security and sustainable development.

In a related context, Ibrahim Al-Dukhiri, Director-General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, expressed during his speech his deep gratitude and appreciation to Egypt for warmly hosting the Director-General and the staff of the regional office in Cairo, following the temporary relocation of the organization’s headquarters to Egypt from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

Al-Dukhiri expressed his profound gratitude for the continuous support provided by the Egyptian state, and the great facilities offered to ease the residency and administrative procedures for the organization's employees during the past period, ensuring that the organization could continue its work serving Arab agricultural causes without interruption.