Egypt celebrates Toshka project

Egypt yesterday celebrated the fourth anniversary of "Toshka", the date when President Hosni Mubarak launched the biggest Egyptian national project.

Youssef Wali, Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture announced that a decision was taken to distribute 50,000 feddans to the youth graduates every year, as a part of 150,000 feddans reformed lands.

He said that there is a good chance before the youth and farmers to plant 30,000 feddans by ground water around Toshka spillway during the coming seven years.

He added that the government is keen on providing the necessary equipment to level such lands on easy terms.

The high cost of the lands and water connections will be compensated through the early ripeness of the high-yield crops, very expensive in local and international markets.

During a tour in Toshka, together with the high ministerial committee of national projects, Dr. Wali asserted that the mega project of Toshka is ready for future expansions to become indeed Egypt's south gateway to the new century, capable of providing job opportunities and containing 3 million farmers in the Nile Delta and Valley.

Wali announced that Toshka spillway will play a significant role in the coming stage in developing the fish wealth in Egypt.

Last year Toshka project receives between 55 and 110 million cubic meters of water every day, especially that 30 billion cubic meters of the recent floods have been stored in the spillway, so that the fish wealth be of high quality.

Mahmoud Abu Zeid, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation asserted that the Toshka project mirrors on integrated strategic vision, and it is not just digging a canal and setting up a big station.

It is a complete system that includes a lot of projects in agriculture, industry, mining and tourism domains. This is besides the social and service sides such as health and education.