Latest news with #Farouk
Daily News Egypt
2 hours ago
- Business
- Daily News Egypt
Citrus and potatoes top Egypt's H1 agricultural exports of 5.2 million tonnes
Egypt's agricultural exports rose to 5.2 million tonnes during the first half of the year, with citrus fruits and potatoes continuing to lead the list of products, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation announced. The figures were detailed in a report received by Minister of Agriculture Alaa Farouk from the Central Administration for Agricultural Quarantine, the ministry said in a statement. Citrus fruits led the exports with approximately 1.8 million tonnes, followed by potatoes at 1.2 million tonnes. The ministry said this confirms their growing importance as key export crops due to their recognised quality. Other major exports included 168,000 tonnes of fresh onions, 136,000 tonnes of fresh and dry beans, and 103,000 tonnes of sweet potatoes, which ranked fifth. The list of major exports also included grapes, fresh strawberries, fresh garlic, fresh tomatoes, guavas, and pomegranates. The minister said the state was working to enhance Egypt's position as a leading regional hub for high-quality agricultural exports. He noted Egypt's commitment to applying the highest standards of quality and food safety, which helps open new markets and boosts international confidence in Egyptian products. Farouk added that the ministry continuously provides support to exporters and works to remove obstacles to increase the competitiveness of Egyptian products in global markets, underlining the agricultural sector's pivotal role in the economy and in supporting the state's development plans. The minister attributed the success of the export system to the collaborative efforts of farmers, producers, and exporters who are committed to high-quality output and good agricultural practices. He also praised the continuous monitoring by agricultural engineers and researchers, the efforts of the agriculturalquarantine authorities, the ministry's central reference laboratories, and foreign agricultural relations in opening new markets. He highlighted the constant follow-up on shipments from the farm to the destination market. Farouk called on the relevant ministry departments to continue their development and monitoring efforts and to provide all forms of support to agricultural producers to further grow the export sector and maintain the quality of Egyptian produce.
Egypt Today
7 hours ago
- Business
- Egypt Today
Egypt's agricultural sector sees strong growth with 5.2M tons exported in H1 2025
CAIRO – 22 June 2025: Egypt's agricultural exports continued on an upward trajectory in the first half of 2025, reaching 5.2 million tons, a clear indication of the sector's growing strength in global markets. Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, had previously announced that by the end of May, exports had already hit 4.8 million tons. A new report from the Ministry reveals that citrus fruits remained the top export, with 1.8 million tons shipped abroad, followed by potatoes at 1.2 million tons. The data also shows notable volumes for other key crops: fresh onions accounted for approximately 168,000 tons, while fresh and dried beans reached 136,000 tons. Sweet potatoes secured the fifth position with 103,000 tons exported. Rounding out the top-performing export crops were grapes, fresh strawberries, garlic, tomatoes, guava, and pomegranates—further reflecting the diversity and strength of Egypt's agricultural output. Minister Farouk reaffirmed the government's commitment to supporting exporters by streamlining processes and removing barriers, helping Egyptian products compete more effectively in international markets. He added that this export performance underscores the critical role of agriculture in Egypt's economy and its alignment with the country's broader development objectives.
Daily News Egypt
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily News Egypt
Egypt's Agriculture Minister explores boosting development strategies, food security with global experts
Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, held high-level discussions with Mafa Chipeta, former international expert in agricultural strategy and policy formulation at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and Baboucarr Manneh, Director General of the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice). The talks centred on advancing Egypt's agricultural development strategies and fostering deeper partnerships and investment across African countries. The meeting, also attended by Saad Moussa, Supervisor of External Agricultural Relations, examined ways to enhance Egypt's agricultural policies in the face of global sectoral challenges, while leveraging available opportunities and resources to achieve sustainable agricultural growth at the national and regional levels. Minister Farouk reaffirmed Egypt's strategic vision for achieving food security and sustainable development by raising crop productivity, improving farmers' livelihoods, and boosting the competitiveness of Egyptian agricultural products in global markets. He emphasised the importance of leveraging international expertise to meet these goals. Farouk also underlined Egypt's strong commitment—guided by the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi—to strengthening cooperation with African countries, highlighting the continent as a natural extension of Egypt's development agenda. He noted that integration and coordination across African states are essential to realising shared development objectives. As part of this vision, Farouk announced the formation of a specialised committee comprising members of both the House of Representatives and Senate, alongside leading investors, scientists, and experts, to explore mechanisms for encouraging Egyptian investment in agricultural projects across Africa. He welcomed the collaboration of the international experts present in shaping the committee's strategy and implementing actionable recommendations. The Minister also stressed Egypt's ongoing efforts to promote private sector engagement in development, noting recent reforms to enhance the country's agricultural investment climate. During the meeting, AfricaRice Director General Baboucarr Manneh outlined the centre's structure and mission. Headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, AfricaRice includes 28 African member states. He revealed plans to organise a scientific and investment forum in Cairo later this year, in partnership with Egypt's Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation and other regional and international bodies. The forum will aim to establish a mechanism for expanding rice cultivation and agricultural investment across Africa while transferring Egypt's extensive expertise in rice production to support food security efforts continent-wide. Minister Farouk directed the External Agricultural Relations Department to coordinate closely with AfricaRice on the initiative. Mafa Chipeta commended Egypt's efforts in agricultural development and shared key international insights on designing and implementing strategic agricultural policies. He stressed the importance of innovation, sustainability, climate adaptation, private sector empowerment, and community engagement, along with improving yields of key strategic crops. The talks also addressed other pressing themes, including the promotion of climate-smart agriculture, development of agricultural value chains, support for smallholder farmers, sustainable resource management, and the adoption of modern technologies to boost production efficiency. All parties agreed on the vital importance of continued technical cooperation and knowledge exchange between Egypt's Ministry of Agriculture and international institutions. These efforts aim to craft forward-looking, comprehensive agricultural policies that can meet sustainability and food security goals for Egypt and beyond. The meeting reflects the Ministry's continued commitment to drawing on global expertise and strengthening international partnerships to support sustainable agricultural development across Egypt and the wider African continent.
Daily News Egypt
7 days ago
- Business
- Daily News Egypt
Supply Minister reviews strategic stock of basic commodities to ensure availability
Sherif Farouk, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, held a high-level meeting with senior officials of the Holding Company for Food Industries to assess the status of Egypt's strategic stock of essential commodities. The session focused on monitoring supply levels, production rates, and the efficiency of the distribution network. This initiative aligns with the state's continued efforts to secure citizens' needs, support market stability, and strengthen national food security. During the meeting, officials reviewed inventory levels across warehouses managed by the Holding Company and affiliated wholesale companies. Discussions also covered the regularity of supply flows from producers and suppliers to these warehouses, as well as the performance of logistics and distribution systems serving sales outlets—including consumer complexes, the 'Gam'eyati' initiative, and ration card grocers nationwide. Minister Farouk underscored the importance of maintaining high operational readiness, closely tracking daily supply flows, and safeguarding a robust strategic reserve—especially in light of ongoing global and regional economic challenges. He stressed the need to enhance the trading and distribution framework to ensure timely and accessible delivery of goods to citizens. The Minister also called for stronger coordination between the Holding Company and its subsidiaries, along with deepened partnerships with suppliers and producers, to uphold stable supply chains and maintain the highest standards of service, quality, and discipline.
Daily News Egypt
04-06-2025
- Business
- Daily News Egypt
Minister Farouk urges swift activation of Agricultural Solidarity Fund
Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, chaired Tuesday the second meeting of the Agricultural Solidarity Fund's Board of Directors to finalize the fund's strategic and operational framework. Discussions focused on internal regulations, organizational structure, and accelerating the fund's activation to support Egypt's agricultural sector. Farouk emphasized the urgent need to operationalize the fund, positioning it as a key tool to protect small-scale farmers from environmental risks, enhance agricultural productivity, and boost rural incomes—cornerstones of Egypt's national food security strategy. He stressed that the fund's strategic vision must align with Egypt's Sustainable Agricultural Development Strategy 2030. Key goals include improving land and water productivity, ensuring food security for essential crops, increasing the competitiveness of local produce, enhancing the sector's investment climate, and raising rural living standards to combat poverty. The minister highlighted the fund's potential to contribute to sustainable rural development through services such as crop insurance, low-interest financing via the Agricultural Bank of Egypt (ABE) and the Agricultural Development Program, and access to comprehensive agricultural support packages. Farouk called for a broad portfolio of insurance products to safeguard farmers from pests, disease outbreaks, and climate-related risks. He also underscored the need to raise awareness among farmers about available technical and financial tools, and to strengthen ties with cooperatives and agricultural unions through a nationwide outreach campaign. He stressed the importance of aligning the fund's operations with existing ministry initiatives and national programs to ensure that smallholder farmers receive coordinated technical, financial, and insurance support. Mohamed Zakaria, Executive Director of the Fund, outlined the core components of the fund's strategy. These include crop insurance for natural disasters, low-interest loans through partner financial institutions, capacity building, agricultural extension services, market access facilitation, engagement with cooperatives, water conservation initiatives, and robust monitoring and evaluation systems. Zakaria confirmed that the fund's internal organizational structure has been completed. Coordination is currently underway with the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) and the Ministry of Finance to finalize its official registration. He also presented initial work plans, stakeholder contributions, targeted insurance services, and the natural hazards to be covered in the fund's first phase. To expedite the launch, Minister Farouk directed the formation of three specialized committees to oversee the fund's final preparations. These committees will focus on strategy development, financial and administrative operations, and insurance product design.
