A team from the partnership programme between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Egyptian government has conducted field visits to six Egyptian universities and research centres that submitted a proposal to host the first educational and service centre which will support the processed tomato value chain in the country.
The team was led by Omar Abdin, the national coordinator of the project. These visits come as part of the process of evaluating the proposals submitted by the various parties, with the intention of identifying the host of this centre within the coming weeks.
The project is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, and funded by the Italian government represented by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS),
The centre is expected to play a leading role in supporting and developing the entire tomato value chain in Egypt without geographical restrictions for specific governorates, and will work to provide training and advisory services to all actors in the tomato cultivation and industry sector in Egypt.
It should also be noted that Egypt ranks fifth among the list of countries producing fresh tomatoes in the world with about 8 million tonnes.
The volume of Egypt’s production of processed tomatoes is not commensurate with its manufacturing capabilities and the volume of its production of fresh tomatoes. The new centre aims to reduce the gap between Egypt’s agricultural and industrial production of tomatoes.
