Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, held talks with Uganda’s Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Frank Kagyigyi Tumwebaze, and Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Robert Ndugwa Mejadde, on strengthening bilateral cooperation and advancing the strategic partnership between the two countries across the agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sectors. At the outset of the meeting, Farouk underscored the deep-rooted historical and fraternal ties between Egypt and Uganda, highlighting the political leadership’s directives to strengthen cooperation with fellow African countries and translate the memoranda of understanding signed between Cairo and Kampala into tangible development and investment projects. He said such projects would leverage the capabilities of both countries to promote food security and sustainable development. For his part, Tumwebaze praised the significant progress achieved by Egypt’s agricultural sector and its advanced scientific and research expertise. He affirmed Uganda’s commitment to expanding cooperation, exchanging technical and technological expertise, and benefiting from Egypt’s experience in aquaculture, livestock genetic improvement, veterinary vaccine production, and modern irrigation systems. The two sides reviewed progress on the joint integrated model farm for crop and livestock production in Uganda, which spans 500 hectares and has become a successful model for transferring Egyptian technology and expertise. They agreed to expand the cultivation of strategic crops at the farm, including maize, soybeans, beans, wheat, and sunflower, while strengthening its role in introducing Egyptian livestock feeding and fattening systems, improving agricultural mechanisation, producing seeds, and manufacturing silage. The ministers also reviewed the bilateral agreement on veterinary sera and vaccines, under which around 10 million doses of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine are supplied annually to Uganda. The vaccines are produced through cooperation between Egypt’s Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, represented by the Veterinary Serum and Vaccine Research Institute, and the private sector. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining supplies and expanding the provision of veterinary products to protect livestock in both countries. Discussions also explored new opportunities for private sector companies, business leaders, and investors from both countries to establish joint agricultural and livestock projects. The talks focused on providing the necessary support and incentives for Egyptian and Ugandan companies to expand agricultural investments and develop commercial and investment partnerships in agricultural processing, livestock production, and modern irrigation infrastructure, contributing to job creation and increasing the added value of agricultural products. The two sides also discussed opening the Ugandan market to Egyptian poultry and egg products, building on Egypt’s significant advances in the poultry industry. They noted that Egypt has production facilities certified as free from avian influenza in accordance with the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), enabling it to meet Uganda’s demand for high-quality poultry products. They further highlighted the readiness of Egyptian laboratories and research centres to provide technical support and apply the highest standards of biosecurity and veterinary inspection to ensure the safety and quality of traded consignments. The meeting also explored cooperation in establishing and operating integrated fish farms in Uganda under joint Egyptian-Ugandan management, including the secondment of Egyptian experts, the transfer of technical expertise, and the training of Ugandan personnel in fisheries science and intensive aquaculture. The two ministers stressed the importance of increasing bilateral trade in agricultural and veterinary products in line with the economic potential of both countries. They also emphasised the need to facilitate trade and improve market access for agricultural exports while expanding reciprocal trade in fruit, citrus, veterinary medicines, meat, and animal feed. In addition, they highlighted the importance of strengthening training and capacity-building programmes through scholarships provided by the Egyptian International Centre for Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Centre.The post Egypt, Uganda discuss expanding strategic agricultural partnership first appeared on Dailynewsegypt.
