Egypt's government is currently studying a proposal to build an agricultural development at Qattara Depression in Matrouh governorate. The site will cover a land area of around 150,000 acres and production cost has been estimated at USD 650 million, a senior official told Zawya.
Alaa Omar, governorate investments official at Egypt's General Authority for Investment (GAFI), said the project is located exactly along a road linking Baharia Oases and Siwa, starting at Km 177 until the Km 110 mark before Siwa Oasis.
Omar added that the project will be implemented in two phases - the first will consist of cultivating an area of 75,000 acres and the second will undertake the development of the rest of the land.
"The project was proposed to the Public Investment Authority by the General Authority for Construction Projects and Agricultural Development (GARPAD). It aims to increase the number of new agricultural, industrial, poultry and livestock projects in the country, as well as develop a new urban development project," he said.
The cost of developing one acre of land, according to Omar, stands at approximately USD 4,300 including the construction of wells, networks and roads. As a result, the total cost of the two phases of the project will amount to around USD 650 million.
"An underground irrigation source of good quality water is available and is adequate for successfully completing the first phase. The project is currently being reviewed before it is offered to investors," added Omar.
Reports issued by the Agricultural Research Center state that the area of cultivable land in Egypt stands at 5.8 million acres, which represents 3.5% of the country's total land area. However, the report also highlighted Egypt's rising population as a factor that has put pressure on the domestic agricultural gap, which is estimated at 40%. Egypt's population is seen rising to 122 million by 2025.
© Zawya 2013
