THE Government is showing great enthusiasm for expanding its agricultural land in African countries. The Government has been holding intensive talks with other Nile Basin states, after receiving assurances that the new agricultural strategy will help Egypt become self-sufficient in basic crops. In the meantime, Egyptian agricultural experts, in collaboration with water officials, are confident that expanding Egypt's agricultural land in African countries will end the regional disputes over the country's Nile water quota. The Government has been talking with Uganda, Ethiopia and Sudan about jointly using their vast fertile land to grow crops. The intensive talks have already borne fruit in Sudan. According to the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Amin Abaza, about 2 million acres, sprawling across the Egyptian-Sudanese border, will soon be cultivated with cereal. He says 650,000 acres in Egyptian territory and 1.35 million acres in northern Sudan will be used to grow wheat. Abaza has also disclosed that negotiations with Uganda and Ethiopia should bear fruit sooner rather than later. An agricultural expert says that the Government is fully aware of the strategic dimensions of the food sufficiency at home. Mukhtar el-Sherif, who is a board member of the Federation for Economic Development, attributes Egypt's growing enthusiasm for growing crops in other African countries to global warming, which has turned much arable land into desert. “The growing population has compounded the problem. These challenges have compelled the Government and agricultural officials to look for agricultural investments elsewhere,” he says. Another good thing about agricultural investments in African countries is that they will provide jobs for Egyptians. Agriculture accounts for 17 per cent of GDP and 30 per cent of the country's work force. However, it seems that there's one possible drawback: it's all going to be very expensive for the Government. Agricultural experts and economists indicate that the project will really take off the ground only if basic infrastructure, such as roads and ports, is constructed to transport the agricultural products and crops to Egypt. The big banks in Egypt, in collaboration with the African Development Fund, would have to help out. “Without major financial support and a carefully considered, longterm work plan, the Government's agricultural strategies in Africa will not be a great success,” warns el- Sherif. “The small incentives and poor wages given to Egyptian farmers previously deployed in African countries didn't help matters,” he said.
