Plan to increase industrial production in ten years
Egypt, Economics, 10/10/2001

Plans laid down to upgrade the local industry are expected to raise the value of industrial production by 2011 from LE165 billion in 2000 to LE317 billion, covering the production the newly established factories and those included in the modernization plan.

The sum includes LE86 billion of increase by the factories which will be upgraded.

The statements have been said by the Minister of Industry and Technology, Mustafa el-Refaai, before the Shura Council's special Committee for Industry and Energy during a meeting to discuss the prospects of the national industry.

He said that industrial exports were expected to rise from LE8 billion last year to LE75 in 2011.

The ten-year strategy would cover four sectors, namely foodstuffs, textiles, leather and mineral wealth.

Referring to the foodstuffs industry as suggested by the strategy, Refaai said that it would be improved through the integration of agricultural and industrial sectors to increase output of agricultural crops and secure the safety of food production.

It also includes setting up independent specialized centers for the application of quality and food security systems.

"Encouraging investments in the food manufacturing sector is an integral part of the food industries strategy in the coming ten years together with raising their quality by the application of quality control procedures," he added.

As for textiles, Refaai said that the strategy would include laying down the controls and methods able to achieve maximum utilization of cotton production through the modernization of cotton ginning units and the adoption of the standard specifications criteria acknowledged on the international levels in the manufacturing of clothes and textiles.

An essential part of the strategy according to Refaai would be to improve the ready-made clothes industry by upgrading the equipment and introducing the latest techniques use in that industry.

With regard to the leather industry, he said that the modernization strategy included the introduction of the latest available technology in the world together with upgrading tanneries and applying modern tanning techniques.

Meanwhile, Refaai said, an Egyptian team of industrial experts and specialists had left for Portugal to get acquainted with their expertise in the field of industrial modernization focusing on the private sector's experience in this regard.

He added that the Portuguese industry modernization program was successful and that they were considering using the experience of Portuguese experts to help in the Egyptian modernization program.

He stressed the need take advantage of other countries experience in modernizing their industry such as Tunisia and Morocco.

Referring to mineral wealth, Refaai told the Shura Council committee that geological studies had proved that large amounts of granite were available over about 90,000 square metres of the total area of the Egyptian eastern desert of nearly 250,000 square metres.

He said that there were huge amounts of other minerals such as manganese, iron and lead together with glass sand and that new companies would be established to exploit the country's mineral wealth.

He further urged Egyptian businessmen to play due role in the modernization program to meet the challenges expected to face the Egyptian industry in the future.

Egypt's industrial production contributes nearly 20 per cent of the country's gross domestic production.

Refaai said that his ministry had completed 95 per cent of Egypt's industrial map and the information would be available to those needing them through electronic means.

Ministry had also accomplished about 80 per cent of Egyptian products guide book offering information on 3400 products.

Head of the Committee, Mohammed Farid Khameis, said that the committee had suggested forming five working teams to be entrusted with gathering information from the formal and informal sources covering all the industrial production sectors and exploring the views of experts and industrialists on the industrial modernization program.

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