Egypt, Uzbekistan explore crop collaboration

Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Alaa Farouk met with Uzbekistan’s Ambassador in Cairo Mansur Bek Klichev to discuss ways to enhance agricultural cooperation between the two countries, as per a Cabinet statement on Tuesday.

Farouk expressed the ministry’s readiness to provide all forms of support and expertise to ensure successful cooperation for food security and agricultural development in both nations, the statement said.

He suggested that the two countries could collaborate on agricultural scientific research and applications, leveraging Egypt’s expertise and achievements in the field as well as its adoption of modern agricultural technologies.

He also noted the potential for signing memoranda of understanding (MoU) in the fields of agriculture and agricultural quarantine measures, which have been under preparation over the past three years, the statement added.

The Uzbek ambassador highlighted the significance of economic cooperation, particularly in agriculture and food security, and the mutual interest in intensifying efforts to expand agricultural collaboration.

He also conveyed his country’s desire to benefit from Egypt’s expertise in cotton cultivation technologies and to collaborate on research for high-yield improved seeds, particularly for potatoes. Uzbek firms are keen on importing Egyptian potato varieties for testing in Uzbekistan’s environment.

Furthermore, he emphasised potential knowledge exchange in sugar beet cultivation, fertiliser production, desert land reclamation, irrigation system modernisation, and groundwater use for desert agriculture in Egypt.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English

Subediting: M. S. Salama