Further agricultural cooperation with Japan was the focus of a top-level meeting Wednesday.
Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation el-Sayed el-Quseir held talks with Japanese Ambassador in Cairo Noke Masaki on fish farming and smart-agriculture.
Egyptian citrus are now available on the Japanese market, el-Quseir said, adding that negotiations are under way to export grapes and pomegranate. The talks also addressed chain value in farm produce, modernising irrigation and increasing exports, el-Quseir said.
The ministry’s research centres and world-class laboratories are connected with centres in Africa and Asia, the minister said.
He also reviewed the ministry’s measures in agricultural quarantine.
Talks focused potential mechanisms to support small farmers and boosting cooperation in training.
For his part, the Japanese Ambassador spoke of the long history of agricultural cooperation between the two countries, especially in rice cultivation, since the 1970s.
Stronger ties with Egypt would help consolidate cooperation with Africa due to the country’s pivotal role on the continent, the envoy said.
Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Egypt, Yoshifumi Omura, who also attended the meeting, reviewed the projects JICA is carrying out in Egypt, as well as cooperation with the ministry in smart agriculture.
The JICA representative also spoke of possible cooperation with the Agricultural Bank of Egypt to support financing for small investors.
