• Egypt seeks $2.6B private investment for 2025–26 agriculture plan
• Focus on desert farming, irrigation, and strategic crop expansion
• Aims to cut food imports; Egypt leads Africa in food purchases

Egypt is targeting 127.4 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.6 billion) in private funding for agriculture as part of its investment plan for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation announced Sunday, August 31.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the ministry said its top priorities for the fiscal year include expanding cultivated land in desert areas such as Toshka, Sinai, and the New Delta. According to local media, the plan also includes improving crop yields, modernizing irrigation systems, developing agricultural greenhouses, and extending contract farming to strategic crops like corn, cotton, and oilseeds.

Valuing arid lands for agricultural production is a key strategy for Egypt, where arable land covers less than 5% of the country.

The government also announced in August that it had successfully completed a pilot project to grow cotton in the desert conditions of southern Sinai using modern irrigation. The success of the trial paves the way for large-scale cultivation in these regions and could attract new investors.

Increasing local production should help the North African nation reduce its reliance on imports. Data compiled by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in a July report shows that Egypt is Africa's largest food importer, with purchases totaling nearly $16.4 billion between 2021 and 2023. The country's primary imported products are cereals, oilseeds, sugar, meat, and dairy.

Stéphanas Assocle