(AFP PHOTO/MARCO LONGARI)
The government is currently working to expedite the process of reclaiming 1m acres of agricultural land within one year. Egypt eventually hopes to reclaim a total of 4m across the nation, according to Minister of Agriculture Adel El-Beltagy.
Beltagy added that the land will be tendered and prices decided upon very soon, as will the conditions sought by graduates, social groups and foreign and local investment companies interested in obtaining the land.
The minister presented several proposed agricultural models during a meeting on Saturday evening attended by Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb and the Ministers of Water Resources and Irrigation, and Petroleum. The meeting was held to discuss the procedures necessary for implementing the million-acre reclamation project expected to be finished within one year.
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi announced the launch of several national projects, including the land reclamation project, the Suez Canal Axis Development project, and a new road network, in addition to development of the northwest coast and the Golden Triangle project to connect three major industrial centres.
These projects are designed to boost the economy, alleviate poverty and unemployment, and accelerate growth rates.
The water resources proposed for the lands set to be reclaimed include surface irrigation and irrigation wells according to the Water Resources Minister Hossam Moghazy. An announcement of the companies operating in the field of drilling should be made, he said, to increase farmlands and build integrated agricultural complexes that will contribute to the construction of new residential complexes, stated Moghazy during the meeting.
According to a cabinet statement released on Saturday evening, Mehleb has requested that a final vision of the million-acre reclamation project and a timeframe be presented, including maps of reclaimable lands and the financial sums required for implementation. Also, connecting those lands with the new road network will contribute to integrated agricultural and industrial development, according to official cabinet spokesperson Hossam El-Qawesh.
During the meeting, El-Beltagy delivered a presentation on the efforts of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation to determine, inventory, and produce maps for reclaimable lands, as well as attempting to ensure reclamation projects are distributed evenly across the country. The presentation also demonstrated soil quality, proposed irrigation methods, and the establishment of integrated industrial complexes that utilise agricultural output. This process will eventually provide more jobs and increase agricultural exports, claimed the minister.
