During the inauguration ceremony, which included the screening of a documentary titled “The New Delta,” Executive Director of the Future of Egypt Authority for Sustainable Development Colonel Bahaa El-Ghannam delivered a speech that included the inauguration of Water Pumping Station No. 3 Naba’ via video conference.
Speaking during the event, President El-Sisi affirmed that what had been accomplished in the New Delta Project would not have been possible except by the grace of Allah Almighty and through the efforts of the Egyptian people.
He urged Egyptians to take pride in what has been accomplished under the project.
El-Sisi said the project reflects the combined efforts of all state institutions, along with the participation of the private sector, with 150 companies involved in agricultural production and hundreds more working in other activities.
He highlighted the role of private companies, noting that cultivation is carried out through agreements based on planned crop rotation systems.
El-Sisi noted that the project provides around two million job opportunities, emphasizing that these are sustainable rather than temporary jobs.
Project execution
The president outlined the major challenges that were overcome during implementation.
El-Sisi said the project’s cost reached nearly EGP 800 billion, with spending ranging between EGP 350,000 and 400,000 per feddan, in addition to the construction of new roads totalling 12,000 kilometres in length.
He also referred to the challenge of securing water for the project by collecting agricultural drainage water from the Delta governorates after subjecting it to tertiary treatment.
This was followed by the construction and lining of two main routes: the Northern Route and the Eastern Route, each extending 150 kilometres, he added.
The president further noted that transporting the collected water was carried out against the natural slope of the land, which required the construction of 19 main pumping stations to irrigate 2.2 million feddans.
He also highlighted the construction of power stations with a total capacity of approximately 2,000 megawatts.
Strategic objectives
During the ceremony, President El-Sisi said the project’s strategic vision, as well as the plan to improve agricultural productivity in Egypt, is based on integrating old and new farmland.
Under this plan, traditional crops such as wheat and corn would be grown in the fertile soils of the Nile Valley and Delta due to their higher productivity.
Meanwhile, the new lands, he explained, would focus on crops better suited to desert soils, such as sugar beet, to maximize land use and crop rotation efficiency.
He also stressed that achieving self-sufficiency in all crops is difficult in Egypt, as in most countries, due to climatic, water, and environmental factors.
He noted that Egypt imports between 14 and 17 million tons of animal feed annually, in addition to wheat imports.
The president stressed that development is an ongoing process with no end, and that the ambition to increase agricultural production also has no limits.
He referred to other projects currently being implemented in Minya, Beni Suef, Kom Ombo, Toshka, East Oweinat, and Sinai.
Wheat harvesting
According to the Egyptian presidency, El-Sisi also conducted an inspection tour of the wheat harvesting site, where he was briefed on wheat productivity per feddan and the quality of the crop.
He also visited Pumping Station No. 3 Naba’, which showcases industrial works and modern operation and control systems, as well as sugar beet production.
The New Delta Project, which includes the Egypt Future and South Dabaa Axis projects, is one of Egypt’s major agricultural projects, according to the State Information Service (SIS).
It is a partnership between the state, represented by the Future of Egypt Authority for Sustainable Development, and several major private real estate development companies with extensive experience.
The New Delta, which will accommodate two to three million families, will also include a large industrial and logistics zone.
It covers 2.2 million feddans, with planned expansion to 2.8 million, making it the country’s largest land reclamation project.
The project also aims to increase Egypt’s cultivated land by up to 23 percent, or about one-quarter of its agricultural area.
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