Cairo: Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, said that the UAE has contributed significantly to supporting Egypt's efforts to develop the date sector, expand the cultivation of high-value varieties, enhance processing and cold-storage capacities, and establish specialised industrial complexes for export.
According to Emirates News Agency, the minister made these remarks at the opening of the sixth edition of the Cairo International Dates Festival at the Agricultural Museum in Dokki. The event featured more than 60 exhibitors from various governorates and participants from Arab countries representing producers of dates and various natural products. The minister highlighted the UAE's support in the rehabilitation and renovation of the Kharga Date Complex in the New Valley Governorate, with a financial contribution of around EGP17 million. Additionally, the UAE aided the establishment of a date cold-storage complex in Bahariya Oasis, which has a capacity of 4,000 tonnes, thereby enhancing production efficiency.
He further noted that the UAE had previously supported the rehabilitation of the Siwa Oasis date factory at a cost of approximately EGP14 million. The UAE's contributions also extend to the ongoing expansion of specialised date industrial complexes in areas such as Sadat City, Borg El Arab, 10th of Ramadan City, and 6th of October City. These projects aim to advance post-harvest systems through the development of sorting, grading, packaging, and packing technologies, ensuring the final product meets international standards.
The Egyptian Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation emphasized that these initiatives have positioned Egypt among the leading date-producing countries globally, accounting for approximately 19 percent of global production, with annual output nearing two million tonnes. Egypt boasts more than 24 million palm trees and is planning further expansion in cultivating high-value export varieties.