Food security is an issue of national security for any country, and scientific research is the best means to meet the challenges and problems.
This statement by Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation el-Sayed el-Qoseir during his address on Monday at an international conference organised by the Agricultural Research Centre on the sustainability of strategic crop productivity amid climate change and the global food crises.
Sustainable development requires three basic elements: participation, justice and financing, the minister said, lauding efforts by researchers.
More is expected from them particularly since agriculture has become a top priority and has witnessed great achievements unprecedented renaissance under President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the minister added.
Egypt has the two of the largest centres for agricultural and desert research in the region, with thousands of researchers working in both, el-Qoseir said.
El-Qoseir stressed the need for more attention to smart agriculture, artificial intelligence applications, early warning systems, and agricultural innovation.
Other issues of concern are salinity, land degradation, modernising irrigation, organic agriculture and vital compounds (pesticides – fertilisers), as well as expanding good-quality seed production, he said, adding that registration procedures for new varieties of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides must be facilitated.
