CAIRO, Oct 3, 2018 (MENA) - Egyptian Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawi and Abdel Wahab Zayed, Agricultural Counselor at the UAE Presidential Affairs Ministry, discussed on Wednesday preparations for the fourth Siwa festival for Egyptian dates in November. Zayed is the secretary general of the the Khalifa International Prize for Palm and Agricultural innovation. The festival will be held under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and will be organized besides the Local Development Ministry by the Matrouh Governorate, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Khalifa International Prize, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). A statement by the Ministry of Local Development said the two sides discussed at their meeting today the achievements of the Khalifa Prize since the start of its program in Siwa in 2015 to promote the date sector through the development of supply chains, with focus on the transfer and application of modern technologies. The local development minister said the State was interested in palm and date cultivation as part of the development process to provide many jobs for residents in Marsa Matrouh, Aswan and other governorates known for palm trees cultivation. One can benefit from this sector given the high demand for Egyptian dates in the world market, he said. Meantime, the UAE official said 10 date factories are under construction in Siwa. A project for the development of this oasis is being mulled to provide an integrated plan involving the sectors of agriculture, industry, tourism, environment and culture, he added. Siwa is one of Mother Nature's masterpieces, located about 560 km from Cairo and stretching over 25 meters below sea level. It includes many palm trees that were meticulously grown between mud-brick homes and also has a number of crystal clear springs, lakes and rivers as a way for villagers to escape from the harsh heat of the sun. It has a mixture of crystal-clear water, endless deserts and shimmering white rock formations. According to FAO, Egypt is the number one producer of dates in the world with 17.7 percent of world production, estimated at 7.5 million tons.
