File Photo: Egyptian farmer in a wheat field. Photo: (Al-Ahram)
Recounting the achievements of the 30 June Revolution in the agricultural sector in Egypt, Farouk attributed the decline to government efforts aimed at boosting local agricultural production and strengthening the agricultural contract farming system, which guarantees farmers a pre-set price before planting and links them directly with processing factories and companies, reducing intermediaries.
He said these policies have contributed to a significant increase in domestic wheat output, which exceeded 10 million tonnes this year, up by 6.5 percent compared to the previous season, helping to reduce reliance on imports.
The minister added that government wheat procurement reached record levels, approaching the target of 5 million tonnes by the end of the season, supported by cultivated areas totalling 3.76 million feddans, an increase of around 600,000 feddans year-on-year.
Farouk highlighted that Egypt’s agricultural sector is undergoing a major transformation driven by large-scale land reclamation projects and improved water resource management.
These include the New Delta project covering 2.2 million feddans, the Toshka development project (1.1 million feddans), the North and Central Sinai development project (456,000 feddans), the New Rural Egypt project (1.5 million feddans), and development initiatives in Upper Egypt and the New Valley covering 650,000 feddans.
He also referred to major water treatment projects aimed at supporting agricultural expansion, including the Al-Hammam station with a capacity of 7.5 million cubic metres per day, Bahr Al-Baqar station (5.6 million cubic metres per day), and Al-Mahsama station (1.3 million cubic metres per day), alongside expanded use of seawater desalination and modern irrigation systems.
The minister added that 18 agricultural development communities have been established in Sinai, benefiting more than 2,100 families, each allocated five feddans and a housing unit, in addition to three integrated agricultural service centres aimed at building modern farming communities.
He also noted government efforts to support border and Bedouin communities through groundwater wells, solar-powered stations, anti-desertification projects, and subsidised seeds for strategic crops such as wheat, barley, and broad beans, as well as distribution of olive, fig, and date palm seedlings to strengthen economic and social stability.
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