Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Alaa Farouk and FAO Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa AbdulHakim El-Waer on Thursday attended the signing ceremony of two MoUs to launch new projects supporting agricultural and rural development in South Sinai and developing Egypt’s olive value chain.
The co-operation reflected Egypt’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with international organisations to support sustainable agricultural development, Minister Farouk said.
The South Sinai project would help empower local communities, particularly young people and women, create sustainable livelihoods and integrate local activities into agricultural and food value chains, while making better use of the governorate’s natural resources, he added.
The minister added that the strategic framework for Egypt’s olive value chain was being developed in co-operation with the Agricultural Research Centre, the Desert Research Centre and FAO experts.
The initiative follows directives to expand olive cultivation, particularly oil-producing varieties, and conduct a comprehensive assessment of the sector, from producers to consumers.
The assessment will identify opportunities and challenges in production, processing and marketing, paving the way for a national strategy to increase olive productivity and strengthen its competitiveness in local and international markets.
El-Waer praised co-operation with Egypt’s Agriculture Ministry, saying FAO experts and their Egyptian counterparts would conduct a national assessment to provide the government with the data and studies needed to support sustainable economic growth and food security.
