Egypt’s International cooperation minister,Sahar Nasr held a meeting Saturday with FAO’s Regional Representative, Abdessalam Ould Ahmed to explore potentiality of FAO’s participation in Egypt’s national project to reclaim 1.5 million feddans.
Ahmed, the regional representative of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, is heading a a high-profile official mission, currently visiting Cairo to boost the organization’s cooperation with Egypt.
In December 2015, President Abdel Fatah al Sisi launched the first phase of a national mega project aims to expand the country’s farmland by 1.5 million feddans in Farafra Oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert.
The first phase includes reclaiming 10,000 feddans located at Farafra’s Amal village where a total of 50 groundwater wells will operate by solar-powered pumping stations for irrigation purposes.
Meanwhile, during the meeting, the minister showcased the project which targets land reclamation in different areas of Egypt’s western desert including the Qattara Depression and Toshka region where a total of 600 groundwater wells are being drilled. In addition, they explored future cooperation in various fields namely groundwater wells usage and the development of fisheries and the usage of renewable energy in agriculture.
