MINSK, 8 June (BelTA) - Egypt is interested in expanding cooperation with Belarus in various areas of agriculture. This topic was high on the agenda of a meeting between a delegation of the food safety department at Egypt's National Service Products Organization and Belarus' Agriculture and Food Minister Leonid Zayats, BelTA has learned.
“Cooperation between Belarus and Egypt received a new impetus thanks to the recent successful negotiations at the level of the leaders of the two countries, and increased exchange of visits of experts. There is a huge potential for the development of bilateral ties in various fields. We have already identified several projects that need to be worked out in more detail,” the official from Egypt said. He noted that Egypt's interests in the cooperation with Belarus in the field of agriculture are not limited to milk and dairy products only.
The Belarusian agriculture minister invited the Egyptian colleague to discuss possible projects on the supply of beef, poultry, construction of greenhouses, irrigation, drilling water wells, etc.
Not long ago Belarus announced its plans to build a dairy farm in Egypt. The Egyptian representative noted that Egypt is currently studying every opportunity for the implementation of this initiative. He stressed that a detailed plan has been developed to implement the project. He also spoke about the prospects for the supplies of Belarusian equipment under the credit line of the African Export-Import Bank as part of the framework agreement signed between the African bank and Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus. The Egyptian official said that Egypt does not rule out an interest in the opportunity, although the country is able to buy agricultural equipment without resorting to loans.
The two countries have made progress in strengthening cooperation in the agricultural sector. According to head of the main department on foreign economic activity of the Agriculture and Food Ministry Aleksei Bogdanov, some 100 tonnes of Belarusian milk powder has been so far delivered to Egypt, and the assortment continues expanding. “Egypt is one of the leaders on the African continent and has big financial resources. We are trying to supply there not only full-cream milk, but also the final product, such as cheese, butter, whole milk products,” Aleksei Bogdanov said. “We are also studying the possibilities of a technology transfer and personnel training. We intend to supply our products to Egypt and help develop milk production there,” he added. Egypt also shows interest in grain warehouses. The corresponding commercial proposals are currently under consideration. The Belarusian representative said that the first trial batch of rye flour at the volume of 20 tonnes will go to Egypt on 8 June.
While in Belarus, the Egyptian delegation visited the 27th international exhibition Belagro 2017. In July the Belarusian working group will travel to Egypt to discuss the details of the promising agricultural projects.
