Egyptian permanent envoy to the United Nations in Geneva Alaa Youssef and the adviser to the Agriculture Minister, Saad Nassar, submitted Egypt’s membership documents to the International Union for Plant Variety Protection (UPOV).

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the documents were submitted in a meeting with UPOV Secretary-General Francis Gurry on the sidelines of the Egyptian delegation’s participation in the 53rd session of the union in the Swiss city.

The delegation said that Egypt is pleased with gaining the UPOV membership, shedding light on current agricultural projects across the country.

Gurry voiced his delight at Egypt's ascension to the union, saying that such a step will be valuable for it.

This step came after Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Ezz Eddin Abu Steit announced last week that Egypt has won the UPOV membership.

The minister said that the UPOV's council unanimously agreed in its meeting in Geneva to accept Egypt as a member.

The UPOV international agreement aims to protect intellectual property rights of new species with high productivity and good specifications, Abu Steit added.

The deal provides a great opportunity for the country to invest in the field of seed production and export, he noted.