(MENAFN – Daily News Egypt) Egyptian Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Alaa Farouk has stressed the crucial role of agricultural exports in earning foreign exchange, supporting the country’s industrial development plans and securing means of production.

“We are working to remove all export barriers,” Farouk said on Tuesday at a meeting with key figures from the agricultural export and investment sector.

Farouk highlighted the state’s efforts to expand agricultural land and thus create surpluses for export. He also stressed the importance of agricultural processing in adding value, creating jobs and reducing waste.

“The success of Egypt’s processed agricultural exports complements our fresh produce exports,” said Farouk.

The meeting was attended by Hesham Al-Hosary, Chairman of the Agriculture and Irrigation Committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives, Abdelsalam El-Gabaly, Chairman of the Agriculture and Irrigation Committee of the Egyptian Senate, Ali Issa, Chairman of the Egyptian Businessmen Association, Abdel Hamid Demerdash, Chairman of the Agricultural Export Council, as well as well-known agricultural exporters and investors and senior officials of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Farouk stressed the importance of working with the private sector and linking scientific research with investors to achieve a unified vision for the agricultural sector. He also praised the private sector and investors for increasing Egypt’s agricultural exports, which exceeded 7.3 million tons of fresh agricultural products last year.

“I attended this meeting to listen to proposals for the further development of the agricultural sector and to work to remove any obstacles,” said Farouk. “My office is open to any serious proposals or ideas for projects that could add value to the sector.”

Farouk urged exporters to work towards realising the political leadership’s vision of achieving $100 billion in exports across all sectors, including agriculture.

“All researchers at the Ministry of Agriculture are experts in their field and contribute valuable knowledge to the country,” said Farouk. “We support scientific research and our role is to create an enabling environment for researchers and investors and to support Egyptian farmers.”

He pointed out that Egypt has all the conditions for success, especially after the construction of major projects, infrastructure, and water treatment and desalination plants. These advances, he said, made Egypt one of the strongest economies in the Arab world and the region, and enabled significant progress in bridging the food gap, increasing agricultural exports and generating foreign currency.

Al-Hosary reiterated Parliament’s support for all efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture to achieve food security, pointing out that Egypt’s private agricultural sector has the necessary resources and modern technologies.

El-Gabaly discussed several issues facing farmers and exporters, including contract farming, land regulation and desert reclamation support. He stressed the importance of agricultural processing in adding value to the national economy.

Farouk listened to the opinions and suggestions of agricultural exporters and investors, as well as the challenges they face and possible solutions. He instructed the ministry’s leadership to implement the suggestions presented during the meeting and remove obstacles for exporters and investors. He also stressed the importance of maintaining communication with them to find immediate solutions to their challenges.

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