ASWAN – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi opened on Sunday a number of land reclamation projects in the desert area in Toshka, Aswan governorate, including Toshka Al Khir project, as part of the state’s efforts to achieve an integrated development boom.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by a host of ministers and senior state officials.
Toshka Al Khir is one of the biggest land reclamation projects the president saved from collapse.
The president watched a documentary titled “green carpet” which underlined the importance of securing the national food security for all Egyptians as one the political leadership’s top priorities.
The documentary shed light on the use of the most advanced technological systems in the agricultural and irrigation domains in the country’s national projects topped by the two million feddan project which includes agricultural ventures in Toshka, East Owainat, the New Delta and Sinai.
The documentary stressed the political leadership’s interest in working on manufacturing production lines locally to magnify the added value and support the local strategic industry.
It added the National Service Products Organization cooperates with Elsewedy Electric group to support the irrigation industry locally and achieve self-sufficiency of these systems to meet the country’s agricultural needs.
The documentary pointed out that Egypt managed to manufacture 70 percent of the irrigation systems locally.
During the inauguration of Toshka Al Khir project in Aswan, the president watched a documentary about the cultivation of more than 2 million palm trees, as well as digging canals and wells to provide the water needed for the reclaimed lands in Toshka.
On his part, Director General of the National Service Products Organization (NSPO) Major General Walid Abul Magd said the agency participates in implementing several projects in the fields of agricultural, livestock, dairy products, poultry, fish farms and heavy industries, in addition to mining.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Board of Directors of Elsewedy Electric Ahmed El Sewedy said the private sector took part in all projects carried out in the past seven years.
He added that Elsewedy Electric secured over 20,000 jobs in these national projects, thanking President Sisi for his support of the private sector.
During the inauguration of a number of agriculture projects in Toshka in Aswan, Chairman of the National Company for General Construction and Supplies Major General Karam Salem reviewed the progress made in the South Valley development project, where 325,000 feddan of lands were reclaimed.
Salem said that 11 national companies finalized the first phase of the South Valley development project that included establishing irrigation networks, digging canals, building pump stations, erecting electricity networks and constructing service roads.
On his part, Chairman of the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces Ihab El Far said the State executed several projects in the past seven years, notably agriculture development projects to stop encroachments on farmlands in the Nile Valley and the Delta.
Chairman of the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces Ihab El Far said the State drew up an agriculture development strategy that matches Egypt’s Vision 2030.
He added that this well-planned strategy aims to promote sustainable farming, through providing food commodities, redistributing a large number of citizens in the Nile Valley and the Delta and establishing agricultural and industrial communities in order to achieve food security, reduce the import of strategic goods and secure direct and indirect job opportunities.
This strategy also focuses on modern irrigation systems to ensure the rationalization of water consumption and the use of non-traditional water sources by treating agricultural wastewater, El Far noted.
He stated that Egypt launched an initiative to encourage farmers to embrace modern irrigation systems, as part of the State’s plan for optimizing water use.
This initiative targets switching around 3.7 million feddans from the traditional flood irrigation system into the sprinkling irrigation system, at a total cost of EGP 70 billion, El Far said.
He spoke about the EGP 68 billion-project for rehabilitation and lining canals to save around 5 billion cubic meters of water annually.
El Far explained the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces implemented 49 agriculture projects since June 30,2014.
The Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces is currently working to reclaim 500,000 feddans in Central and North Sinai, along with the New Delta giant agricultural project, where 500,000 feddans were reclaimed as a first phase, he said.
