The Egyptian government has initiated a new project to boost the date industry in the New Valley governorate. The project, located in Waha Al-Shorbagy, aims to create a comprehensive date industry complex. This complex will enable the transformation of agricultural production into agricultural manufacturing, increasing the added value of date production.
The complex, spanning 64,000 square meters, is expected to be a significant development in Egypt's agricultural sector. The project has already achieved 30% completion. It will feature a comprehensive system for handling date production, including reception, sorting, classification, and processing lines. The complex will also have packaging and storage facilities, with a capacity of 20,000 tons.
The project's infrastructure relies on modern irrigation systems and solar energy. It also aims to diversify crop production and introduce high-yielding, economically valuable crops. The complex will have over 650,000 date palms in various stages of growth and production, with around 300,000 palms already bearing fruit. The project's goal is to reach one million date palms, producing various types of dates.
The date industry complex is expected to create approximately 1,500 job opportunities in the agricultural and industrial sectors. This will enhance the competitiveness of Egyptian products and increase date production, processing, and exports to local and international markets. The project aligns with the government's efforts to achieve a significant leap in agricultural manufacturing.
Minister of Local Development and Environment, Manal Awad, emphasized the government's aim to boost Egypt's agricultural manufacturing capabilities. She highlighted that the complex will integrate post-harvest, processing, packaging, storage, and marketing stages. This will link agricultural production to industry and related logistical services.
New Valley Governor, Hanen Magdy, noted that the project is part of the governorate's efforts to maximize the economic benefits of date production. The project will support the competitiveness of Egyptian products and increase the added value of date production through industrial development.
The complex will also feature a weighbridge to facilitate reception, handling, and shipping operations. Additionally, it will include industrial facilities for producing date-related products, such as date syrup and packaging materials.
Key points
- The project aims to create 1,500 job opportunities and increase Egypt's date production and exports.
- The complex will have a storage capacity of 20,000 tons of dates.
- The project relies on modern irrigation systems and solar energy to minimize its environmental impact.
