Sigma Capital

03-11-2025

Egyptian and Irish Agriculture Ministers Discuss Strengthening Cooperation in Food Security and Agri-Tech

Source: MIST

Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, met with his Irish counterpart, Noel Grealish, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, in Cairo to explore ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in agriculture. The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister Mostafa El-Sayed and senior officials from both ministries, coinciding with the Irish minister’s visit to Egypt for the Grand Egyptian Museum’s opening.

Farouk welcomed the Irish delegation, emphasizing the historic ties between Egypt and Ireland and expressing his ambition to enhance collaboration in key agricultural areas, particularly food security and the localization of modern agricultural technologies. He highlighted Egypt’s commitment—under political leadership directives—to benefit from global expertise, especially Ireland’s advanced experience in livestock development, breed improvement, and digital transformation in agriculture.

Grealish praised Egypt’s agricultural progress in recent years and affirmed Ireland’s interest in sharing expertise in farm digitization and modern irrigation, while learning from Egypt’s horizontal land expansion projects.

Key topics discussed included:

Cooperation in livestock and dairy production, including breed improvement

Joint agricultural research, especially in water sustainability and climate adaptation

Expert exchange and technical training between Egyptian and Irish research institutes

Boosting trade in agricultural and food products, such as dairy, meat, seeds, and feed

Enhancing agricultural and veterinary inspection and certification systems

Encouraging joint investments and Egyptian agricultural delegations to Ireland

Supporting small farmers through capacity-building, sustainable farming programs, and access to soft loans

Leveraging EU Horizon programs for seed production, livestock, organic fertilizers, and sustainable agriculture

Promoting renewable energy use—solar, wind, and green hydrogen—in agriculture and food industries

Advancing urban agriculture projects like rooftop farming and sustainable food systems

The ministers agreed to organize technical visits for knowledge exchange in livestock, agricultural research, and water management. A field visit by an Egyptian technical delegation to Ireland is also being planned to explore innovations in food processing and sustainable agriculture. Both sides will designate contact points to ensure ongoing coordination and follow-up on agreed initiatives.