The project amounts to an agricultural revolution, seeking to achieve economic independence and change the face of Egypt’s development map for generations.
The launch of the New Delta reflects a strong political will and proactive thinking, the state managing its resources with scientific and technological efficiency, and constitutes a practical and decisive response to doubts regarding Egypt’s ability to safeguard the future in terms of water and food, which have been expressed — not always with good intentions — both at home and abroad.
The project saw the transportation of tertiary-treated agricultural drainage water through two 300 km routes, reversing the natural slope of the land, and building 19 main pumping stations to supply the water necessary to cultivate 2.2 million feddans in the western desert — an engineering feat made all the more remarkable by the fact that it is happening while the world endures armed conflicts that have disrupted food supply chains and revealed the danger of excessive reliance on imports.
On the other hand, Egypt is suffering from a runaway population growth that makes food security paramount. The country’s population is increasing by almost two million every year and is expected to reach 140 million by 2030. The New Delta will help transfer population density away from the narrow Nile valley and integrate urban communities supported by a road network of 12,000 km and an electrical infrastructure of 2,000 megawatts. A strategic vision that focuses on agricultural development through mega projects will save the country billions in food imports.
It is true that the cost of the New Delta is huge — according to Al-Sisi himself, around LE 800 billion (US$ 15 billion) — but this is a modest sum compared to what the country would incur without agricultural expansion projects on this scale. Egypt’s imports of fodder alone have reached LE 14-17 million a year, and that is not to mention that Egypt is the world’s number one importer of wheat, buying around five million tonnes a year.
Al-Sisi has affirmed that, regardless of any costs, the train of sustainable agricultural development projects from Toshka and East Oweinat to Sinai will not stop. In technical terms, the New Delta project integrates old and new land in order to maximise management of the agricultural cycle with a view to both soil and climate: wheat and corn in the Nile valley, export crops in the newly reclaimed lands.
Al-Sisi also announced that over 150 private companies are participating in agricultural production activities, and hundreds of others will be operating in supporting sectors. This means that the state is creating real investment opportunities, bringing the private sector into its food security objectives. Providing two million sustainable job opportunities in the New Delta project is a genuine social safety valve, since sustainable employment of the young ensures directing their energies to constructive activities and protecting them from extremist ideas.
As well as being the largest national agricultural project in Egyptian history, the New Delta project is designed to be an agricultural, industrial and commercial nucleus, which includes factories, silos and markets, creating an integrated community powered by clean energy. Seeing the land on the point of producing a wheat and sugar harvest on Sunday was a deeply rewarding experience — not just in terms of a successful mega-project but also, more importantly, as a sign that our food security is in a better place than it has ever been in recent memory.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 21 May, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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