Alaa Farouk, Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, affirmed Egypt’s full commitment to enhancing agricultural cooperation with the sister Republic of Lebanon across various activities related to the sector.

This was stated during his speech at the conference organized by the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture titled “Lebanese Apples.. Challenges and Future,” attended by several Arab agriculture ministers to highlight the reality, challenges, and future of apple cultivation in Lebanon with the participation of many experts and officials to discuss competitiveness, sector future, integrated apple production management, and support projects.

This participation came in response to an invitation from his Lebanese counterpart Dr. Nizar Hani, within the framework of the distinguished relations and positive outcomes resulting from the fifth session of the joint agricultural technical committee between the two countries recently.

Farouk pointed to the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the importance of strengthening cooperation with the brothers in Lebanon, stressing that the timing of the apple conference is crucial amid major transformations in the global agricultural sector related to competitiveness, quality, and penetration of international markets.

The Minister emphasized that the conference’s slogan “Challenges and Future” is a call for joint work to turn challenges into real opportunities, aiming for Lebanese apples to gain their deserved global position. Farouk also highlighted the great importance the Ministry of Agriculture places on ensuring the smooth flow of agricultural goods, noting that Lebanon is the second-largest exporter of apples to Egypt.

The minister revealed that Egypt imported about 53,000 tons of Lebanese apples in 2024 out of a total of 186,000 tons imported, making the sister Republic of Lebanon the main source of this product to the Egyptian market.

Regarding the challenges facing apple production and export, including production costs and quality requirements, Farouk confirmed that these difficulties represent opportunities to deepen cooperation and exchange expertise, especially in areas such as expanding agricultural processing of apple products, encouraging joint investments in manufacturing and supply chains, and developing modern technologies to support competitiveness.

The Minister concluded his speech by emphasizing that the future of Lebanese apples and Arab agriculture depends on innovation, technology, and keeping pace with global changes, expressing his hopes that the conference will achieve results that contribute to setting visions and executive plans that open wider horizons for marketing and export.