The 1st Edition of Cairo Food Summit Spotlights the challenges and opportunities of Agriculture and Food Industries sectors
The event is held under the auspices of Ministries of Supply and Internal Trade, International Cooperation, Agriculture, Trade and Industry, and will witness the attendance of ministers, business community leaders, and high-level participation from agricultural, industry and export organizations
The inaugural Cairo Food Summit will be held on February 27th, with the support of Egypt's Ministers of Supply and Internal Trade, International Cooperation, Agriculture and Land Reclamation, and Trade and Industry. The event comes as a translation of the government’s commitment – under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi - to fostering the development of the agricultural and food industries, in order to fortify the country's push for self-sufficiency and stimulate GDP growth. The private sector is actively engaging in this endeavor, devoting substantial effort toward actualizing the country's Vision 2030 objectives.
The summit’s opening session will include keynote speeches from Ministers of Supply and Internal Trade, International Cooperation, Agriculture and Land Reclamation, as well as Ambassador of the European Union and Ambassador of Italy. Held under the theme “Food Today & Tomorrow”, Cairo Food Summit will enable major stakeholders from different sectors to collaborate and network, and work side-by-side on achieving the sustainable development strategy of Egypt Vision 2030 and make sure that the country’s food sector can play its role in reaching it.
The event will bring together subject-matter experts from all sectors, including ministers, government officials, key opinion and thought leaders, to discuss the future of the food industry and explore ways to achieve food security and sustainable economic growth, through 3 specialized panels discussing Investing in Agriculture Efficiency & Sustainability, Egyptian Exports’ Outlook and Growth Potentials, Food Industry as Catalyst for Economic Growth. These in-depth sessions will cast light on the centerpiece industry of economic growth in Egypt, while painting a vision to address the sector’s challenges and capitalize on its available opportunities. Through the summit, opportunities and solutions will be generated to aid the development of the food sector that meets the nation’s goals of curbing inflation and meeting the long-term food security goals outlined in Vision 2030.
Dr. Alaa Ezz, Secretary-General of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, and the Secretary-General of the inaugural Cairo Food Summit, spoke about the private sector contributing to the support of Egypt's agricultural and food industries sector - which serves as a core support of Egypt's economy. “The government and the private sector are working in tandem to bring Egyptian exports up to the $100 billion mark annually - something that is not attainable without a joint, strategic collaborative approach.”
Dr. Ezz added that there is an urgent need for an annual platform aimed at creating an open dialogue between government and private sector, “This will provide a comprehensive assessment of the agricultural and food industries, thus promoting constructive and tangible improvements. Business bodies, such as industrial federations, associations, and councils, enthusiastically endorse the progress agenda that the government set and is now being realized in partnership with the private sector.”
The first session entitled “Egyptian Exports’ Outlook and Growth Potentials” will discuss Export Support Program (ESP) in Egypt, currency depreciation and impact on exports sector, Egyptian government’s role in improving the competitiveness of the local product and introducing new export markets, Egyptian government’s strategy to achieve USD 100 bn in Egyptian exports. The panel will host Abdel Hamid Demerdash, Chairman of Agricultural Export Council, Dr. Samir El Naggar, Chairman of Daltex, Dr. Amani Al-Wasal, Director of the Export Development Fund and Head of Commercial Agreement Sector in Ministry of Trade and Industry, Eng. Ashraf Abou Ismail, General Manager of SONAC, and Hisham Helmy, Vice President of the Chamber of Shipping.
The second session entitled "Investing in Agriculture Efficiency & Sustainability” will discuss challenges and opportunities in the agriculture sector towards achieving food security, how to achieve self-sufficiency in agricultural crops, digitization and digital transformation in the food and agricultural sector, sustainability and mitigating climate change impact on the agricultural sector. The session will include Eng. Tarek Tawfik, Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Egyptian Industries and President of AmCham Egypt, Alaa Diab, CEO of Modern Agriculture Company- PICO, Eng. Mohsen Elbeltagy, Chairman of Horticultural Export Improvement Association (HEIA), Tarek Abu Bakr, Undersecretary of the Agricultural Export Council and Chairman of the Council's Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Committee, Eng. Medhat El Kady, Chairman of Egyptian International Freight Forwarding Association (EIFFA) of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce.
The third session entitled " Food Industry as Catalyst for Economic Growth” will discuss sustainable growth strategies for supply chains and retail trade, government's initiatives to finance agricultural and industrial sectors, the impact of global inflation and Russian-Ukrainian war on supply chains, localization of food industries and restructure of Egypt's state-owned companies. The session will include Eng. Ashraf El Gazayerli, Chairman of the Chamber of Food Industries, Dr. Tarek El Houby, Chairman of the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA), Karim Abu Ghaly, a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Grain Industry in the Federation of Egyptian Industries and a member of the Export Council for Food Industries and Owner of Regina Pasta Company, Niels Thomsen, Group CEO of Juhayna Food Industries, and Karim Baraka, General Manager of Savola Foods Company.
Cairo Food Summit is sponsored by Regina Co. for Pasta and Food Industries, StartUp Power; the renowned competition that was launched by Ahmed Abou Hashima in addition to a number of other institutions.