He highlighted the sector’s contribution to over 15% of the GDP, its employment of more than a quarter of the national workforce.
Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, emphasized the pivotal role of agriculture in Egypt’s economic development during Cairo ICT. He highlighted the sector’s contribution to over 15% of the GDP, its employment of more than a quarter of the national workforce, and its significant impact on foreign currency reserves through agricultural exports.
Farouk added that fresh agricultural exports in 2023 reached approximately 6.9 million tons, valued at over $4.1 billion, while processed agricultural products added another $5.1 billion. The combined total of $9.2 billion reflects the sector’s growing importance to the national economy.
Farouk outlined the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to enhance food security, improve self-sufficiency in strategic crops, and boost agricultural exports.
A central theme of Farouk’s address was the Ministry’s focus on digital transformation. Key achievements include the digitization of 20 agricultural services, the modernization of the quarantine system, and the expansion of export farm coding to enhance the global competitiveness of Egyptian agricultural products. Over 3.2 million agricultural holdings, covering 8.1 million feddans, have been registered in the Ministry’s digital system.
Farouk announced new projects to further digitalize seed and pesticide approval processes, enhance financial services for farmers, and implement electronic payment systems in agricultural cooperatives.
