The meeting, also attended by Egypt's Deputy Agriculture
Minister Engineer Moustafa El Sayyad and Pakistan's Ambassador to Cairo Amir
Shoukat, focused on enhancing collaboration in several key areas.
These include reclaiming desert lands, implementing modern
irrigation systems, advancing applied agricultural research, and expanding the
cultivation of high-yielding, premium varieties of strategic crops.
Farouk underscored Egypt's commitment to sharing its
expertise in desert land reclamation and modern irrigation, noting their
contribution to regional food security. He also highlighted potential
cooperation in improving the productivity of strategic crops like rice, wheat,
and sugarcane, areas where Pakistan boasts significant experience.
The Minister also affirmed the possibility of cooperation in
the livestock sector, specifically mentioning artificial insemination of
buffaloes and cross-breeding between Egyptian and Pakistani buffaloes. He
emphasized that such knowledge exchange would add value to both countries'
agricultural sectors and open new avenues for joint research and development.
The Pakistani minister expressed admiration for Egypt's
achievements in desert land reclamation and its leadership in the field. He
conveyed his country's keenness to benefit from Egyptian expertise,
particularly given shared challenges related to water scarcity.
Shah also showed interest in establishing a partnership
between the private sectors in both countries to set up a model farm in
Pakistan, aiming to transfer modern agricultural technologies and methods.
He further expressed anticipation for joint cooperation in
applied agricultural research and a desire to benefit from Egyptian expertise
in cotton cultivation and manufacturing. Shah noted the potential for
cooperation in cultivating Basmati rice and wheat varieties, where Pakistan has
made significant strides in productivity.
The Pakistani minister also outlined his country's ongoing
government program for animal disease tracking and establishing disease-free
zones in livestock farming, which he said would boost Pakistani meat exports at
competitive global prices once approved by the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO).
Farouk extended an invitation to Shah to visit Egypt's Cotton Research Institute to showcase advanced technologies. He stressed the importance of coordinating with Pakistan to prepare a Memorandum of Understanding encompassing all areas of mutual interest, aiming for swift implementation of the cooperation initiatives.