São Paulo – Agricultural product and processed food exports from Egypt fetch approximately USD 4.9 billion, with sales going to 130 different countries. The plan is to double revenue within five to eight years, Agricultural Export Council (AEC) chairman Abdel Hamid Demerdash told ANBA this Friday (3). Egypt is now looking to cooperate with Brazil in order to increase its yields.
“One of the most important subjects we discussed was how to share information and technologies between Brazil’s Embrapa (the Agricultural Research Corporation) and our own local ‘Embrapa’ (research institute),” Demerdash said over the phone, referring to a meeting he had on Thursday (2) in Cairo with Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce president Rubens Hannun, CEO Michel Alaby and Government Relations manager Tamer Mansour.
According to him, Egypt is interested, for instance, in information on new sugarcane varieties to increase crop yield in Upper Egypt, a region where there are sugar plants, as well as in planting and harvesting machinery. They also wish to utilize bagasse to make other cane products, like ethanol and fertilizer.
Since farming in Egypt is done mostly in smallholder properties, Demerdash said there’s interest in information on family farming and cooperatives in Brazil. “Ours are very small properties, spanning half a hectare at most,” he said. “We do have cooperatives here, but we would like to learn about how they work in Brazil,” he added.
He also stressed that Egyptians are interested in finding out more about Brazilian social programs like Bolsa Família, which transfers income to poor families.
Investment
Egypt also intends to draw investment into agriculture. According to Demerdash, who’s also a congressman, a government plan is in place to carry out farming across 1.5 million acres in the desert by using water from wells.
Historically, Egyptian agriculture was always done along the banks of the Nile and its northern Delta. He added that investors from countries like Italy, Spain and United Kingdom are interested in the project. Now, he would like to introduce it to Brazilians.
Egyptian exporters also plan on showcasing their products to Brazilians in a bid to increase exports. They hope to do so in the upcoming São Paulo Supermarkets Association Fair (Apas) next May in São Paulo.
Items that could be sold to Brazil include pomegranates, oranges, mangoes, grapes, dates, potatoes and onions, according to Demerdash.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
