East Owainat, food basket for Egypt

After being neglected for a long time, the image is changing now in East Owainat, the strategic depth of Egypt in the New Valley. The area holds ideal natural and environmental wealth, waiting for incoming investors to turn it into the food basket for Egypt in the near future. The visit that will be paid by President Mubarak to E.O. today, is an impetus to remove any obstacles that might hinder investment there.

Youssef Wali, Minister of Agriculture, said the planned area to be cultivated in E.O. amounts to 220 thousand feddans in the first phase, anticipated to reach 450 thousand feddans in the future. Studies proved that underground water in the region can be exploited for a period not less than 200 years. He said, for the first time 500 feddans have been cultivated with potato seeds so as to provide the local market as well as to get chemical-free exportable products for European countries.

Wali said also that a bank was established to offer loans for investors in the fields of soil improvement, well-drilling, animal breeding and agricultural industrialization.

The New Valley governor, S. Seleem, indicated that the project is being developed day after another to turn the barren desert into green paradise. The State, he said, provided transportation network of roads to help export the agricultural products abroad immediately through the already expanded Owainat airport.

The government plans to turn "Al-Ein", the main town there, into a new urban gathering to hold about 10 thousand people in the first stage. The Ministry of Defense also practically shares in the E.O. project by cultivating thousands of feddans with fruits, palm trees, maize, onions and other important crops.