Agriculture Min. Discusses with African Counterparts Enhancing Cooperation, Food Security

The Egyptian Minister of Agriculture Alaa Farouk discussed with his counterparts from Madagascar, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, as well as the Director of the Agricultural Research Department at the African Union ways to enhance joint agricultural cooperation and achieve food security for the peoples of the African continent, as part of his continued bilateral meetings with his counterparts from African countries on the sidelines of his participation in the African Union Extraordinary Summit for Agricultural Development, currently being held in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

The Minister of Agriculture stressed - during his meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Madagascar, Hagarison Francois - the directives of the political leadership in Egypt, and the assignments of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to provide all forms of support to our brothers from African countries, considering them the strategic extension of Egypt, and that there is a special interest in achieving development in all countries of the African continent, especially in the field of agriculture, in light of the challenges facing this sector at the level of countries around the world.

For his part, Francois expressed his desire to increase agricultural cooperation with Egypt and benefit from Egyptian expertise in the field of agriculture and animal production; in a way that contributes to achieving food security.

Farouk invited his Malagasy counterpart to visit Egypt to learn about modern agricultural technologies and the Egyptian experience in this field, visit plant and animal production farms, benefit from experiences in combating plant diseases, cooperate in combating desertification and land degradation, benefit from rationalizing water use, and others.

In a related context, the Minister of Agriculture discussed with the Director of the Agricultural Research Department at the African Union, Dr. Ahmed Al-Maqs, ways to enhance agricultural cooperation between Egypt and sister African countries in the field of agricultural research and the exchange of expertise and modern agricultural technologies, through the Agricultural Research and Desert Centers in Egypt, with the aim of raising the level of agricultural productivity and achieving food security for the peoples of the continent.

The two sides also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the field of agricultural research, and the development of new varieties of various crops, especially strategic ones, and resistance to pests and diseases.

While Alaa Farouk stressed during his meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security in South Sudan, Josephine Lagu, Egypt's keenness to support agricultural cooperation with African countries, and provide the necessary technical support and training for African farmers, noting that Egypt has great expertise in the field of agriculture, livestock, rationalizing water use and developing research laboratories; Which makes it play a pivotal role in achieving sustainable agricultural development in the African continent.

The two sides also discussed intensifying cooperation in the field of training agricultural specialists from South Sudan, and transferring Egyptian expertise to it. They also reviewed Egyptian experiences in establishing integrated agricultural development communities, and Egypt's efforts to achieve development in the African continent, especially with regard to joint Egyptian-African model farms.

The Minister of Agriculture also discussed with Gismala Hamza, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Central African Republic, ways to enhance agricultural cooperation between the two countries, and joint work to achieve food security and sustainable development in the African continent.

The two sides stressed - during the meeting - the importance of exchanging agricultural expertise and technology between the two countries, especially in the field of agricultural production and improving crop varieties, in addition to increasing opportunities for joint investment in the field of agriculture, enhancing cooperation in the field of agricultural research, and exchanging researchers and scientists, in addition to increasing opportunities for training agricultural cadres in both countries, to develop the agricultural sector and enhance productivity.

The meetings were attended by Monzer Selim, Egypt's Ambassador to Uganda, Dr. Adel Abdel Azim, Head of the Agricultural Research Center, and Dr. Saad Moussa, Supervisor of External Agricultural Relations.

The Minister of Agriculture had headed to the Ugandan capital, Kampala, to participate, on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in the African Union Extraordinary Summit on the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme, which is being held from January 9 to 11.