UPDATE 3: El-Sisi encourages private sector investment in land cultivation during harvesting season event - Society

Al-Ahram Weekly

21-05-2025

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi attended the 2025 wheat harvesting season event on Wednesday, calling on the private sector to invest in the 800,000 feddans that the Future of Egypt for Sustainable Development Authority plans to complete to make the land suitable for agriculture.
He indicated that 800,000 feddans are set to be added to Egypt's agricultural land by September. This, he said, requires coordination among ministries and state institutions to provide the necessary infrastructure, which is scheduled for completion by next June with private sector participation, ensuring the land is ready for cultivation.
"The land is available to you. The state has already made significant progress in preparing it. All that is required of you is to work on bringing the agricultural land into the production phase, now that the necessary infrastructure has been provided," El-Sisi said, addressing the private sector and investors.
During the event, the president noted that the challenges in converting this land into farmland are not limited to financing but also to implementation.
President El-Sisi said preparing this land for agriculture requires basic infrastructure, including energy, roads, and an electricity network.
"I'm speaking now to the government, investors, and everyone who can contribute to the success of the ideas we are discussing. When we aim to bring new land into cultivation, we face many challenges—not only in financing but also in execution."
He also highlighted that if another year passes without cultivating 600,000 feddans, we are missing out on a EGP 30 billion opportunity.
'The average income per feddan is about EGP 50,000. Therefore, the 800,000 feddans which are expected to be brought into service could generate around EGP 30 billion annually. We must not miss the opportunity of this resource by delaying its entry into the production phase, especially considering that agriculture also improves soil quality.'
Moreover, the president noted that investing in this land will help improve its quality and the expertise of those working it, while creating around 600,000 job opportunities for citizens.
The Future of Egypt project, costing EGP 8 billion, is part of the state's plan to expand agricultural land and increase agricultural production.
It aims to provide high-quality agricultural products at affordable prices for citizens, achieve self-sufficiency in strategic commodities, and export the surplus.
The project is located along the new axis of Rod El-Farag–El-Dabaa road. It is divided into 60 linear roads and 35 crossroads, divided into equal plots, each 1,000 feddans.
Its location is one of the main strategic advantages due to the availability of manpower and the easy access to production requirements such as fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, and equipment.
This also facilitates delivering the final products to the main markets and land and air ports for export.
Furthermore, El-Sisi emphasized the state's keenness on achieving development in Sinai, noting that the state is making great efforts to provide central infrastructure.
He noted that preparing 500,000 feddans in Sinai for cultivation requires the combined efforts of the Governor of North Sinai in cooperation with the Governors of Port Said and Ismailia, as well as the Ministries of Electricity, Irrigation, and Agriculture, to ensure the integration of state institutions in adding this area to Egypt's agricultural land.
The president also highlighted that cultivating this land this year will add value to the national projects the state has implemented in Sinai over the past years, including roads, tunnels, and the railway line extending to Arish and Taba.
El-Sisi, directing his remarks to Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel El-Wazir, expressed his amazement that Egypt still does not have a factory for infant formula, noting that the country imports 45 million cans of powdered milk annually.
The president said his remarks are directed not only to government officials but also to investors, industrialists, and the private sector, urging them to tackle one issue at a time and resolve it.
Lake protection, livestock reform
El-Sisi also called for adopting proper fishing methods and scientific approaches to developing Egypt's 14 lakes, describing them as valuable resources for both the state and fishermen.
He urged fishermen to cooperate with the state to preserve lake ecosystems, stressing the importance of strictly enforcing fishing bans by relevant authorities.
Additionally, El-Sisi warned that lake production would remain limited without this cooperation, citing unregulated activity and lack of oversight as reasons for the recent decline in output and profits.
The president also suggested distributing livestock to families as a sustainable alternative to monthly cash assistance, enabling steady income through meat and dairy production.
He further proposed a programme to improve productivity by replacing current livestock with higher-yield breeds.
Regarding urban development, El-Sisi stated that the New Delta project could accommodate around two million families under an integrated development plan.
El-Sisi said this would open new investment opportunities for the private sector and real estate firms, albeit with a different approach.
He also described adding 2.2 million acres to Egypt's agricultural land as a major achievement that will create millions of job opportunities.
In addition, he noted that harvesting and cultivating such an area would require agricultural machinery worth dozens of billions of pounds, which would boost employment in machinery, maintenance, and spare parts sectors.
Inauguration of several agricultural projects
El-Sisi inaugurated the first phase of the Mustaqbal Misr Industrial City on Sheikh Zayed Axis in Giza Governorate, followed by an inspection tour that included storage refrigerators, a feed factory, a drying plant, and the silos area.
The Mustaqbal Misr Industrial City is part of the state's efforts to enhance food security and increase agricultural land through major national projects.
Moreover, during the event, El-Sisi attended, via video conference, the inauguration of several agricultural projects as part of the 2025 wheat harvest season in the Dabaa area of Matrouh Governorate.
Among the inaugurated projects was the completed first phase of the Dakhla-Oweinat initiative, encompassing 30,000 feddans cultivated with various crops, including wheat and corn. The wheat harvest has begun, yielding an average of 22 ardabs per feddan. According to agricultural engineer Karim Ibrahim, the project targets the cultivation of 230,000 feddans.
El-Sisi also followed the sugar beet harvest from the Sanabel Sono 1 project, which aims to cultivate 140,000 feddans—of which 70,000 were planted in the 2024–2025 season—with crops including wheat, barley, sugar beet, and prickly pear.
Agricultural engineer Mohamed Hassan El-Arabi reported that the wheat harvest in this project recorded an average yield of 20 ardabs per feddan, while the barley harvest produced an average of 3 tons per feddan.
The president also witnessed the sugar beet harvest in the Sadat sector farms, which cover 45,000 feddans.
Additionally, El-Sisi inaugurated the new headquarters of the Future of Egypt agency in the Almaza district. The 11,000-square-meter facility can accommodate up to 500 personnel
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