In pictures (Businessmen) publishes the full statement details of the Minister of Agriculture in the plenary session of the Senate
Fathi Al-Sayeh
– “Al-Qusayr”: Egypt has achieved self-sufficiency for 9 crop groups, including vegetables, fruits and some other commodities
– “Al-Qusayr”: International institutions have praised Egypt’s efforts in the agricultural sector and its ability to attract investments.
– (with documents) The Minister of Agriculture reviews efforts to produce vegetable seeds, plant cane by seedlings, and modernize irrigation.
– Al Qusayr: The agricultural sector Among the priority sectors in structural reform due to the rapid growth rates it achieves is agriculture: approved 2075 for projects of public benefit and a decent life
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For Kassir: Trespassing on agricultural land has become a crime against honor and trust
– Reconsidering the price of wheat supply
The Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Mr. Al-Qaseer, stressed the continuous cooperation and consultation between the Ministry of Agriculture, the Senate, and members of the Agriculture and Irrigation Committee to exchange views and discuss many issues, topics and legislation related to the agricultural sector, pointing out that the leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture, bodies, research centers and sectors Relevant people are always present in all committees Aya in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
This came during his speech at the plenary session of the Senate, which was held under the chairmanship of Counselor Bahaa El-Din Abu Shaqa, the First Deputy of the Council, and the heads of the specialized quality committees and members of the Council.
He added, in the ministry’s statements today, that the ministry’s leaders were instructed to have a great deal of flexibility and support in the event of discussing any of the topics and issues raised in that, in implementation of the directives of the Prime Minister, Dr. Mustafa Madbouly, to strengthen cooperation with the parliaments in order to achieve more Cohesion between the executive authority and the legislative authority, given that the ultimate goal is the Egyptian state and the great Egyptian people.
The Minister of Agriculture confirmed that the measures implemented by the state in order to achieve a degree of self-sufficiency included the land reclamation and cultivation project In the south of the valley, with the Toshka Al-Khair project and also the Mostaqbal Egypt project, which represents the first of the giant new delta project, as well as the measures taken by establishing agricultural wastewater treatment plants, which made Egypt one of the best countries in raising the efficiency of water use, pointing out that the effort spent on these and other projects It is largely equivalent to other large national projects that are still immortalized in the memory of Egyptians.
Al-Qusayr said that the food security file has become one of the biggest challenges facing developed and developing countries alike, and the problem of the food gap is no longer just an economic problem. And agricultural only, but it has gone beyond that to become a strategic political issue linked to national and regional security to the extent that food has become a weapon in the hands of the producing and exporting countries to put pressure on the importing countries to achieve political goals. Despite the renaissance witnessed by the agricultural sector in Egypt, it faces a number of challenges, the most important of which is the limited land available for agriculture and the decrease in the per capita share of it, which currently reached 2 carats per person compared to an acre per person in previous periods of time, as a result of the decline of the old agricultural area affected by land encroachments. Agricultural and expansion of urban estates and public benefit projects, as well as the limited water needed to expand the agricultural area.
This came during his speech at the plenary session of the Senate, which was held under the chairmanship of Counselor Bahaa al-Din Abu Shaqa WakilThe first of the council, the chairmen of the specialized qualitative committees and the members of the council. Countries that suffer from water poverty, and territorial fragmentation is a major obstacle to the implementation of many agricultural policies. The negative effects of climate change on agricultural productivity, water consumption rates, and the increase in land salinity, and the steady increase in population deepens the severity of the effects of all these challenges, which requires all of us to think about measures and procedures to confront this, and it is a common responsibility for all of us
The Minister of Agriculture added that the world is experiencing severe economic crises caused by global crises and challenges, starting with the Corona crisis and going through the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, all of which are challenges and crises that greatly affected the economies of countries and left painful conditions that led to severe confusion in the markets Basic food commodities as a result of the impact on supply and supply chains with higher prices Energy, production requirements, commodities and main products, and the rise in freight, freight, and insurance prices, with the decline in foreign currency reserves of countries. Major projects related to agriculture in its broadest sense, especially the horizontal expansion projects that aimed to reclaim the desert to increase the agricultural area, despite the fact that the issue of desert reclamation drains billions of pounds and requires huge investments. In addition to water saving projects from various sources through the triple treatment of agricultural drainage water and sea water desalination with the trend to rationalize water use through the application of modern irrigation systems, as well as vertical expansion projects aimed at increasing productivity of crops and agricultural products, improving agricultural practices and developing varieties and hybrids adapted to weather changes. In addition to the government taking more resolute measures to secure stocks of strategic commodities by expanding storage capacities through the national silos project, bringing the storage capacity to more than 3.4 million tons, in contrast to other capacities available in the Egyptian Agricultural Bank and other agencies, which have reached capacity to more than 5.5 million tons, and this increase in storage capacities is currently being utilized to support the activation of contractual cultivation of corn, soybean and other crops, which will add an important axis in the field of securing the Egyptian state’s needs for strategic crops.
He added that there was coordination with the ministries concerned with diversifying trading partners by expanding the origins of importing strategic crops such as wheat, corn and oil crops, which enabled the state to meet its needs and build strategic reserves for a relatively longer period.
Mr. Al-Qaseer, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, said that the concept of food security has become primarily focused on the importance of the availability of commodities and making them available to all segments of the people by adopting the concept of relative food security, which is the first approach. Which is followed by most countries, which means the ability of the state to provide commodities and foodstuffs in whole or in part while ensuring the minimum of those needs on a regular basis, given that the concept of absolute food security loses countries benefit from comparative and competitive advantages and reduces the movement of international trade.
This came during his speech at the plenary session of the Senate, which was held under the chairmanship of Counselor Bahaa El-Din Abu Shaqa, the first deputy of the Council, and the chairmen of the specialized specialized committees and members of the Council.
He added The Minister of Agriculture stated that Egypt has achieved self-sufficiency for 9 crop groups, including vegetables, fruits, and some other commodities, with a surplus for export. Agricultural area and increased productivity, especially in light of the directives of the political leadership to give priority in projects to expand new agricultural lands to strategic crops, while supporting them with integrated agricultural projects and clusters that include animal, poultry and fish activities, and button processing. I am aware of what contributes to increasing the percentage of the agricultural sector’s contribution to the national product and provides job opportunities for our people in order to provide them with a decent life.
Al-Qusayr explained that the Ministry of Agriculture has developed a strategy for sustainable agricultural development Within the framework of Egypt’s vision 2030, it aimed at: preserving, maintaining, improving and developing the available agricultural economic resources, achieving balanced, inclusive and sustainable development, as well as achieving a large amount of food security, Establishing new integrated agricultural communities that contain all related activities, as well as strengthening the competitiveness of agricultural products in the local and international markets and increasing fresh and processed agricultural exports, as well as providing productive job opportunities, especially for youth and women in the agricultural sector and related activities, as well as improving the income and standard of living of the agricultural and rural population. Reducing rural poverty rates and integrating them into all soft financing programmes, as well as adapting to climate change and limiting its effects. In Egypt, it witnessed its renaissance and unprecedented support from the political leadership during the past eight years. This was represented in the political leadership’s continuous emphasis on the vital role that the sector plays in the national economy, as well as the constant guidance on the need to adopt pivots on vertical and horizontal expansion to support the production of strategic agricultural crops. Achieving food security.
This came during his speech at the plenary session of the Senate, which was held under the chairmanship of Counselor Bahaa El-Din Abu Shaqa, First Deputy of the Council, and the heads of the specialized qualitative committees and members The Council.
Al-Qusayr added that government investments directed to the agricultural sector have been increased in recent years and the implementation of many major national agricultural projects, in addition to the continuous follow-up of the political leadership to the performance in the agricultural sector while creating an investment climate in it. In addition to considering it one of the priority sectors within the structural reform phase due to its rapid growth rates.
The minister stressed that the agricultural sector represents a basic pillar in the national economy, as its contribution to the GDP is more than 15 % Agriculture is also the main source of income and employment, as it absorbs more than 25% of the workforce, in addition to his tangible contribution to maximizing the cash reserves of foreign currencies by increasing the proportions of fresh and processed agricultural exports, in addition to his responsibility for providing food Safe, healthy and sustainable while providing the raw materials needed for many national industries.
He said that a large proportion of the population lives in the countryside and rural areas and depends on agriculture and related activities as a major source C for their entry, making this sector responsible for achieving inclusive, balanced and sustainable development. In addition, according to financial indicators, it is considered one of the best sectors that achieved positive growth rates despite all these circumstances. In addition, the agricultural sector has proven resilient as one of the flexible sectors during the Corona pandemic, and perhaps everyone has followed that at a time when many major countries were unable to provide food for their people, and at a time also when it became clear that money alone has become unable to achieve food security for the people.
The minister referred to the reports issued by some international institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, Fitch Corporation – and others, all of which confirmed that the Egyptian agricultural sector has become a vital sector for growth and that it is capable of alleviating poverty and achieving food security. And the promotion of exports with the increase of the Egyptian state’s investments in modernizing agriculture and developing supply chains, in addition to what has been done in agricultural industrialization in a way that is better than many neighboring countries, which also helped create strong export opportunities.
He added The recent report of Fitch Corporation indicated that the agricultural sector in Egypt is considered one of the most important sectors targeted to attract more foreign direct investment. The government is taking steps to reduce inflation, increase domestic production and exports, reduce dependence on imports, and promote foreign investment. The report also stated that Egypt’s agricultural exports exceeded 6.4 million tons in 2018 2022, achieving a record. Egypt has also opened up 19 a new market for its agricultural products to help increase exports. The report emphasized the existence of various agricultural investment opportunities available in Egypt, on top of which are land reclamation projects that include national projects, such as the new delta project on an area of one million acres, with the government searching for alternative markets to obtain basic commodities and promote the localization of manufacturing, yet encouraging foreign investment It will remain an important tool in Egypt’s efforts to boost growth. Mr. Al-Qaseer, Minister of Agriculture, reviewed during his speech at the plenary session of the Senate, which was held under the chairmanship of Counselor Bahaa El-Din Abu Shaqa, First Deputy of the Council, and the heads of the specialized qualitative committees and members of the Council, what has been implemented, in advance of the documents, through the national program for the production of vegetable seeds.
The minister said that the ministry adopted a program for the production of vegetable crop seeds under the directives of the political leadership in the year 2020, which aims to increase Egypt’s ability to provide Vegetable seeds locally instead of importing more than 53% of the seeds of vegetable crops, also with the aim of reducing the burden on farms by making them available at reasonable prices with Reducing imports from abroad in order to save foreign exchange. A cultivar and hybrid of () Main vegetable crops (tomatoes – peppers – eggplant – watermelon – cantaloupe – peas – beans – cowpeas – cucumbers – zucchini). It has also been agreed with some international companies that have a history in the field of producing vegetable seeds to obtain varieties adapted to the Egyptian environment in order to provide them to farmers through the method of partnership with them, as cooperation is currently taking place with companies from India, Brazil and others.
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He pointed out that the national project for the development of sugar cane was also inaugurated through the establishment of two cane seedling stations in Kom Ombo and Wadi al-Sa’ida in Aswan Governorate, with the aim of increasing the productivity of sugar cane by modernizing the cultivation methods for sugar cane by using cane seedling production techniques to overcome Current farming problems.
The Minister of Agriculture explained that the contract farming system has been activated, as for the first time the Contract Farming Center has been activated to carry out its role that was established for this purpose by Law No. 20 for the year 1500, where she did The Ministry prepared the rules for regulating work at the Contractual Agriculture Center to carry out contract registration, awareness, guidance and promotion of the contractual farming system, and to create a database and information and make it available to dealers in the agricultural production market, and this was activated by the announcement Prices are reported before planting at an appropriate time so that the farmer can estimate the situation and calculate the economics of crop selection. Where contracting has been expanded on many strategic crops, especially crops from which Egypt relies on imports, such as corn, soybeans, sunflowers, and others. The enforcement of contractual farming is one of the most important mechanisms to break monopoly rings, correct the course of the marketing process, secure a rewarding return for the farmer, and encourage him to expand the cultivation of strategic crops, especially industrial crops (fodder and oil), which are difficult to trade in the local market.
With regard to providing Subsidized fertilizers for small farmers, where the total subsidized fertilizers distributed through cooperative and public associations and the Egyptian Agricultural Bank Company amounted to about 7 million tons of fertilizers, with subsidies amounting to more than 20 One billion pounds during the past three years, and in support of this file, a number of measures were taken that contributed to increasing the efficiency of the distribution process, ensuring that subsidized fertilizers reach those who are entitled to them from farmers and farmers, and preventing manipulations in the circulation of these fertilizers, as much as possible.
He pointed out that the balances in agricultural associations and storage places are followed up by sending the needs of each association through a monthly shipping program, and they are disbursed daily to farmers through connected courses, and not to empty the association of Fertilisers. In addition, for more control and governance, a contract is underway with a company to implement a mechanism for electronic control of this system, starting from its exit from the companies until it reaches the associations and follow-up on the disbursement
With regard to developing And the modernization of the irrigation system, the Minister of Agriculture stated that the national initiative was launched to develop and modernize the irrigation system in one million feddans in the new lands and in an area of about 3.7 million feddans in the old lands through a national financing program on 10 for years and without interest, the governorates of Qalyubia and Beni Suef were chosen as a preliminary stage to implement the development of the irrigation system, where 250 One Thousand Feddans in Beni Suef. In addition, the Ministry is working to support the expansion of crop varieties with low water requirements and the implementation of water-saving agricultural practices. There is no doubt that there are many obstacles that represent some challenges in this, including the problem of fragmentation of holdings and the high costs of the process of development and modernization of the irrigation system and others
Mr. Al-Qusayr, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation confirmed that
The agricultural sector is among the priority sectors in structural reform due to the rapid growth rates it achieves.
This came during his speech before the current plenary session For the Senate, headed by Counselor Bahaa El-Din Abu Shaqa, First Deputy of the Council, to review agricultural policy in Egypt during the coming period
He added that, in light of the ministry’s interest in keeping pace with technological progress in digital transformation, the ministry has By working to expand the digital transformation system, smart agriculture and artificial intelligence by launching many digital services (19 service) and completing The farmer’s card system and the launch of the electronic agricultural platform … and others.
“Al-Qusayr” added that the ministry provides many agricultural services, directly or indirectly, to farmers, including the provision of approved, high-yield, early-ripening and widely available seeds. Subsidized services – Soil improvement services, agricultural mechanization, laser leveling, agriculture with wheels and watering purification – Extension services and national campaigns to improve crops – Direct support for sugarcane farmers in mechanization and pest control – Support for the development and modernization of irrigation – Implementation of veterinary and reproductive convoys and livestock care – Facilitating access to loans Crops for farmers and veal for small breeders with easy interest – Digital transformation services for holdings and mechanization of agricultural services – Recording and monitoring the circulation of production requirements (seeds – pesticides – fertilizers – fodder – serums and vaccines – veterinary medicines, etc.) – Research services for the development of the agricultural sector and related activities, in addition to support services Farmers of Bedouin, border and other regions
