The interim government of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf is considering providing facilities for privately-owned Egyptian companies which commit to investing in Nile Basin countries. The sectors involved would be agriculture, industry and construction. The initiative would encourage the expansion of cooperation between Egypt and Nile Basin countries, in an attempt to help settle the Nile water dispute between upstream and downstream countries. The discussions came before Sharaf and five ministers head to North and South Sudan to discuss the issue. According to high-level government sources, the government is also considering allocating a quota from Egypt's 8 million tons of wheat imported annually to Nile Basin countries at international prices. Cooperation protects the interests of Nile Basin countries, said Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Ayman Farid Abul Hadid. He pointed out that the Nile's 1660 billion cubic meters of water are sufficient to meet the current and future needs of all Nile Basin states. The priority will be promoting cooperation between Egypt and Sudan in agriculture, meat imports and technical cooperation, Abul Hadid told Al-Masry Al-Youm before heading to Sudan. Egyptian agricultural expertise will be offered to develop farming systems in Nile Basin countries that will benefit from the massive rainfalls in these countries, he said, adding that most arable lands in upper Nile countries are called "wet lands" and tend not to need Nile water. Abul Hadid added that importing meat and live animals from Sudan and Ethiopia will also be discussed. Al-Masry Al-Youm was informed of a livestock development project between privately-owned Egyptian companies and Al-Jazirah state in North Sudan. Egypt's private sector contracted 18,000 Sudanese farmers to supply 450 calves every day. This is equivalent to 1000 tons of meat per month. The imports will be in the form of chilled meat ready for sale in local markets at LE28 per kilo and valid for human consumption within 48 hours.
