Egypt achieves self-sufficiency in fruits and vegetables

The Assistant Minister of Agriculture and official spokesperson for the ministry, Mohamed Al-Qirsh affirmed that the Egyptian state is keen in providing the needs of the Egyptian citizen, and has achieved self-sufficiency in all vegetable and fruit crops, and exports the surplus abroad.

The assistant minister said - in a a call-in on Friday - that the Egyptian state has drawn up a plan in the coming period to advance contract farming, especially for the cultivation of corn and sunflower crops. On the one hand, to ensure a fair price for the farmer, and on the other hand, to provide oil to the citizens in the coming period.

He pointed out that a contract farming guarantees an incentive to the farmer to grow the required crops, explaining that the Egyptian state bears a lot to support farmers and provide the required and strategic crops.

The deputy minister revealed that 6.5 million tons of various agricultural crops were exported last year, noting that the Egypt is the first in the world in exporting citrus fruits such as frozen strawberries, garlic, onions, oranges, potatoes, pomegranates and others.

He added: “There are some crops that the Egyptian state needed to expand, such as oil crops and fodder, in order to be able to provide our needs from them locally in greater proportions, especially since they have an impact on some other inputs such as poultry and egg production,  in implementation of the contractual farming system, through which the state enters as a buyer."