A group of 11 Dutch companies visited Egypt earlier this year to explore opportunities for climate-smart agriculture. This ‘Inspiration and Knowledge-sharing tour’ was organized by the Netherlands-African Business Council (NABC), on behalf of RVO and the Netherlands embassy in Cairo.
All participants of the tour are active in the fields of irrigation and innovative, climate-resistant agriculture, including desalination. The programme had been initiated by LAN-team of the Netherlands embassy in Cairo, that felt this visit, despite the pandemic, was crucial in order to kick-start the business relations between the two countries; an opportunity to explore opportunities for Dutch and Egyptian partnership to find solutions to Egypt’s challenges to farm in a rapidly changing climate.
Company visit to Belco. Image: NABC.
The three-day programme kicked off with company visits, ensuring participants immediately got a good understanding of the reality on the ground. The second day was dedicated to visiting the Sahara Expo, one of the largest agricultural trade fairs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. At the Sahara Expo, the Dutch companies showcased their solutions and shared their knowledge during a hybrid seminar, which was moderated by Peter Prins of Land, Water & Food Consult. Mr Prins co-organized this mission together with the NABC, which organized its 75th anniversary last month.
Over 50 participants joined the Dutch seminar, which was also attended by a few dozen viewers who followed the live-stream of the event.
The programme was highly appreciated by the participating companies. Nearly all of them indicated in a survey that they expected to engage in business with the companies that were met during the visit. Mr Coen Everts, who represents East-West Seed, commented:
“The mission was above expectation. We realized that there are many more smallholders active in the Nile Delta than we previously thought. These contacts will almost certainly lead to business for us.”
For more information: agroberichtenbuitenland.nl