Egypt signs 2nd phase of Egyptian Cotton Project with UNIDO

Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel El-Wazir; Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Alaa Farouk; and UNIDO's Regional Office Hub Representative in Egypt Patrick Jean Gilabert have signed the document.

The project's second phase aims to enhance the Egyptian cotton value chain's environmental, economic, and social sustainability by strengthening cotton producers' economic, social, and environmental performance and supporting institutions.

The project supports the Egyptian cotton sector, from the farm to the factory, and provides qualified expertise to maintain its competitiveness in a rapidly changing market.

Promoting sustainable cotton production
 

Minister El-Wazir emphasized Egyptian cotton's significant role in the country's economic and social development.

He noted that Egypt's textile sector has achieved vertical integration, from raw cotton production to ready-made garments manufacturing.

Furthermore, El-Wazir said the second phase continues the project's first phase, which ran from 2018 to 2021. This earlier phase was executed as part of the government's strategy to develop the textile industry in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Transport and the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation.

Boosting cotton production
 

Minister El-Wazir highlighted the collaboration between the project and the Cotton Research Institute to boost cotton production in key governorates like Kafr El-Sheikh and Damietta.

He added that capacity-building programmes under the project have focused on traditional and organic cotton farming techniques.

Better cotton certification
 

Additionally, the UNIDO launched the Better Cotton in Egypt initiative, marking the introduction of the first sustainability certification for Egyptian cotton.

This certification now covers around 25 percent of global cotton production.

The Better Cotton programme was officially launched in 2020, initially involving 1,600 farmers in partnership with two private sector partners.

Since then, the programme has expanded significantly and now includes 13,700 farmers across six governorates.

Cotton production, export trends
 

According to the latest data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), Egypt's total cotton cultivation area was 237,700 acres in FY2020/2021.

Kafr El-Sheikh was the leading governorate, cultivating 85,500 acres of cotton.

CAPMAS also reported a notable increase in Egyptian cotton exports, with India becoming the largest importer of Egyptian cotton as of August 2021.