Egypt: Minister discusses new partnerships

September 15, 2011 at 7:35 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

 

H.E. Salah Yousef Farag, the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt and ICARDA delegation headed by the Director General Dr Mahmoud Solh with Dr Kamel Shideed and Dr Fawzi Karajeh of ICARDA and Dr Magdi Anwar, Head of the Minister’s Officer

In Egypt, H.E. Salah Yousef Farag, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, met with an ICARDA delegation – led by Dr Mahmoud Solh, Director General – to discuss the strategic partnership between Egypt and ICARDA in areas of mutual interest. They also discussed new initiatives to be funded by the Australian Government and implemented jointly by Egypt’s Agricultural Research Center and ICARDA to enhance water productivity and on-farm water-use efficiency.

The meeting also reviewed highlights of the results from the first season of the regional Food Security Project. Project farmers in Al Sharqieh province in the Nile Delta, reported 18-25% higher yields, up to 30% saving of irrigation water, and significantly lower seed requirements, making the “Egypt-ICARDA partnership a model for research collaboration, delivering consistent results over a long period”, according to H.E. the Minister. The Food Security Project is financially supported by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).