CAIRO: Egypt’s agricultural exports exceeded more than five million tons in 2020 despite the coronavirus outbreak and its disruption to transport and international trade, according to the country’s minister of agriculture and land reclamation.
Al-Sayed El-Quseir said that 11 new markets were opened for agricultural products, the most important of which was Japan, and that a protocol was signed to export mangoes to the US. These developments proved the quality of Egyptian agricultural products, he added.
Exports amounted to five million tons of agricultural products, equivalent to $2.1 billion (EGP33 billion), which would contribute to supporting foreign exchange reserves.
The most important agricultural exports were citrus fruits, potatoes, onions, beets, pomegranates, grapes, potatoes, mangoes, garlic, strawberries, beans, guava and pepper.
According to official data, New Zealand opened its market for Egyptian oranges, the Brunei and Indonesian markets opened for onions, the Argentine, Japanese, Uzbekistan and Brazilian market opened for citrus fruits, while the Indian and Mauritian markets opened for potatoes.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation said that the volume of exports being targeted in 2021 in light of the 2020 rates was subject to supply and demand.
There was also work being carried out in terms of monitoring, quarantine and supervision to ensure that the requirements of importing countries were met.
“We are working at full capacity,” the minister said.
Egypt’s agricultural exports exceed 5m tons in 2020
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Egypt’s agricultural exports exceed 5m tons in 2020
- Exports amounted to five million tons of agricultural products, equivalent to $2.1 billion (EGP33 billion)
- The most important agricultural exports were citrus fruits, potatoes, onions, beets, pomegranates, grapes, potatoes, mangoes, garlic, strawberries, beans, guava and pepper
PIF steps up private sector push to drive sustainable growth: Al-Rumayyan
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is deepening efforts to strengthen the private sector as part of its strategy to drive long-term economic growth and sustainable development, said a top official.
Speaking at the fourth edition of the PIF Private Sector Forum, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the sovereign wealth fund, said the fund’s efforts to strengthen the private sector will help increase spending on local content and accelerate the localization of supply chains.
The push aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program, which aims to diversify the economy away from oil and increase the private sector’s contribution to gross domestic product, with PIF positioned as a central investment engine behind the strategy.
Al-Rumayyan said: “We affirm our commitment at PIF to empowering the private sector to contribute to leading the Kingdom’s economic growth and transformation. PIF is working alongside the private sector to build a greater economic ecosystem that drives sustainable growth.”
He added: “We try to build strategic sectors, establish leading companies and launch initiatives. In turn, these efforts stimulate spending on local content, localization of supply chains and development of local capabilities and industries, as well as the expansion of infrastructure.”
The event is designed to support PIF’s Private Sector Engagement Strategic Initiative and highlight business opportunities across the fund’s portfolio companies.
The PIF official added that the forum has become the largest of its kind globally for forging partnerships with the private sector.
“Since 2023, participation has reached 25,000 leaders from the public and private sectors, as well as investors from Saudi Arabia and around the world,” Al-Rumayyan said.
He added: “In previous editions, we succeeded in translating dialogues into tangible opportunities for the private sector through specialized programs and initiatives that supported the growth of the business ecosystem, resulting in the signing of over 140 agreements with a total value exceeding SR15 billion ($4 billion).”
This year’s event will feature over 200 speakers across more than 100 sessions covering themes including artificial intelligence and industry, capital market evolution, sovereign wealth collaboration, and business listing strategies.
