Mr. Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, witnessed the signing ceremony of a joint memorandum of understanding between the Agricultural Research Center and the National Institute of Agricultural Technology of Argentina. This agreement comes within the framework of the Ministry's efforts to expand the horizons of international cooperation and leverage modern technology to support the agricultural sector and food security.
The agreement was signed by Dr. Adel Abdel-Azim, Head of the Agricultural Research Center, representing the Egyptian side, and Nicolás Bronzovit, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Agricultural Technology, representing the Argentinian side. The signing ceremony was also attended by Holger Martinsson, Ambassador of Argentina to Cairo, and Dr. Saad Moussa, Vice President of the Agricultural Research Center and Supervisor of Foreign Agricultural Relations.
Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, affirmed that this cooperation is part of the Egyptian state's strategy to strengthen research partnerships with leading agricultural powers globally, transfer the latest agricultural technologies, and apply them locally to address climate challenges and ensure sustainable production. He noted that cooperation with Argentina will focus on vital priority areas, primarily the development of high-yielding varieties tolerant to environmental and climatic stresses, the application of modern biotechnology techniques, and the development of irrigation methods, water conservation, and post-harvest losses. This also includes fish farming, plant and animal health, and nitrogen fertilizer production.
Farouk emphasized the importance of including the exchange of technical personnel and postgraduate students in this joint cooperation, the implementation of joint research projects, and the organization of workshops and scientific seminars. He stressed the significance of this collaboration, which reflects the depth of relations between Egypt and Argentina in the research and agricultural fields, and opens new horizons for exchanging expertise and developing the capabilities of researchers in both countries, ultimately serving the interests of the local and regional agricultural sector.