Egypt is launching a new initiative offering expatriates the chance to own and develop fully serviced farmland as part of a flagship desert reclamation programme, the chairman of the Egyptian Countryside Development Company announced Tuesday. The Mazra'tak Fe Masr (Your Farm in Egypt) Initiative, rolled out in cooperation with the foreign and immigration ministries, allows Egyptians abroad to buy prepared agricultural plots with full infrastructure, legal and technical support, Amr Abdel Wahab told the Egyptians Abroad Conference in Cairo. "This initiative is a new bridge connecting Egyptians overseas to their homeland, enabling them to invest in a vital sector that represents the future of development in Egypt," Abdel Wahab said. "Our goal is for every Egyptian abroad to have a piece of land to cultivate – a dream to realise and a future to build." The programme is part of Egypt's 1.5 million feddan reclamation project, a key pillar of the government's food security and sustainable agriculture plans. Plots under the scheme are equipped with irrigation, roads, modern agricultural planning, and crop feasibility studies, and investors will be linked to supply and marketing chains to ensure commercial returns. A transparent online application and reservation system has been set up to simplify participation without requiring constant presence in Egypt, Abdel Wahab said. "We are not just offering land for sale, but a complete vision for the agriculture of the future," he added. The 1.5 million feddan project, launched to turn desert into productive farmland and create new rural communities, has already prepared thousands of feddans with basic infrastructure. Abdel Wahab said recent progress on the ground underscores the state's determination to develop rural Egypt and attract serious investment into the agricultural sector. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: Y.Yasser
