Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, has held bilateral meetings with his Syrian and Bahraini counterparts, the President of the Arab Center for Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), the Chairperson of the Zarqa Chamber of Industry, and the President of the Jordanian Poultry Producers Association to discuss joint cooperation. The meetings came on the sidelines of his visit to Jordan to participate in the Regional Forum on Accelerating Food Systems Transformation in the Arab Region, in the Jordanian capital, Amman. It is held by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). During his meeting with Fayez Al-Miqdad, Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform of Syria, Farouk said that agricultural cooperation between Egypt and Syria is an important axis for enhancing food security and sustainable development in the Arab region, given the two countries' long history in agriculture.
The two parties also discussed the possibility of exchanging expertise and technology, especially in modernizing and developing irrigation, in addition to developing the productivity of strategic crops and devising improved new varieties. They also addressed the potential of exchanging agricultural research and studies, and finding innovative solutions to the challenges facing the agricultural sector. During his meeting with Wael El-Mubarak, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture of Bahrain, Alaa Farouk emphasized the depth of relations between the two countries. He pointed outthat intensifying joint agricultural cooperation is a promising opportunity to benefit from available resources and meet the needs of local and regional markets. Furthermore, thetwo parties discussed cooperation in developing sustainable agricultural projects to preserve the environment and improve agricultural productivity, as well as enhancing the movement of trade in agricultural goods and products. Farouk also met with Nasr El-Din El-Obeid, Head of ACSAD, to discuss bilateral cooperation. During the meeting, the two sides discussed the importance of research and applied cooperation in the field of improving Egyptian sheep breeds and wheat varieties that are tolerant to weather conditions. They also tackled the issue of high-quality and productive olive seedlings and cooperation in implementing greenhouses to make providing olive seedlings and agricultural equipment more sustainable. Farouk also met with Fares Hamoudeh, the Chairperson of the Zarqa Chamber of Industry and Head of the Jordanian Poultry Producers Association. The Minister of Agriculture listened to a review of the activities implemented by the union and its role in empowering poultry producers. Moreover, he stressed the possibilities of cooperation and building partnerships, referring to the steps taken by the Egyptian state to improve the investment climate, and encourage the private sector to invest in Egypt, especially that there are promising investment opportunities in Egypt in the poultry sector.
