Egypt's Agriculture Minister Highlights 'Egypt 2026 Forum' as Key to State's 3-Year Vision with Broad Societal Input

Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, underscored the significance of the “Egypt 2026 Forum” in articulating the Egyptian state’s strategic vision for the upcoming three years. He noted the forum's broad participation, encompassing diverse segments of society, political parties, and key decision-makers.

In a statement released on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Farouk emphasized that the forum serves as a reflection of the Egyptian state's commitment to societal engagement and fostering open dialogue between the government, citizens, experts, and specialists. This dialogue is crucial for discussing public policies, national projects, and development programs implemented in recent years and their impact on improving citizens' lives.

Farouk highlighted that food security and rural development are paramount priorities for the Egyptian state, positioning them as opportunities to transform existing challenges. He further explained that the Egyptian state has embarked on an integrated reform and executive path. This path balances extensive horizontal land reclamation with vertical expansion strategies, leveraging scientific research and digital transformation. The ultimate goals are to maximize added value, achieve self-sufficiency, reduce the import gap, and ensure the availability of safe food for citizens at affordable prices.

The Minister elaborated that the agricultural sector has undergone a significant transformation, guided by the state's vision for horizontal land reclamation and the efficient management of water resources. He pointed out that the state has initiated some of the largest land reclamation projects in its history, which have successfully expanded the agricultural area and doubled production. These initiatives include the New Delta project (2.2 million feddans), the Toshka project (1.1 million feddans), the North and Central Sinai Development project (approximately 456,000 feddans), the New Egyptian Rural Development project (1.5 million feddans), and projects in South Upper Egypt and the New Valley (covering 650,000 feddans).

Farouk also mentioned the state's proactive measures to bolster urban development, with a particular focus on the agricultural sector. These efforts aim to guarantee the food and agricultural product needs of the Egyptian populace, especially during times when many nations, including developed ones, struggled to maintain their supply chains or even imposed restrictions on agricultural exports. He stressed that while the world grappled with annual losses of millions of hectares due to desertification, soil degradation, drought, and climate change, the Egyptian state successfully expanded its agricultural land by reclaiming over 3.5 million feddans of desert.