Egypt's Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, held a meeting with Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, to discuss enhancing agricultural cooperation between the two countries. Farouk emphasised the importance of joint investments in agricultural machinery production and export, livestock, improved seeds, fertilisers, and pesticide manufacturing, highlighting Egypt's willingness to share expertise in water-saving irrigation techniques, training, capacity building, and agricultural research innovations. Farouk also underscored the role of the private sector in both countries in advancing agricultural investment and food security. He shared Egypt's experience with agricultural financing through the Agricultural Bank of Egypt, which has over 1,150 branches nationwide. He also highlighted initiatives such as contract farming, the smart farmer's card system, and the ministry's digital transformation in managing fertiliser distribution and agricultural inputs. The ministers agreed to form a joint technical committee to identify areas of cooperation, draft a memorandum of understanding, and outline a roadmap for collaboration. A delegation from Egypt, including experts, officials, and private sector representatives, will visit Nigeria to establish priorities. Additionally, Egypt will host 10 Nigerian delegates for training at the International Agriculture Centre in Egypt. The meeting included senior officials and private sector representatives from both countries. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
