President Abdel Fattah El Sisi witnesses, on Wednesday 15/03/2023, the inauguration of the nitrogen fertilizer complex in Al-Ain Al-Sokhna.

The opening is attended by Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Minister of Defense and Military Production, Mohamed Zaki, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Tareq El-Mulla, as well as a number of ministers and senior statesmen.

About the Nitrogenous Fertilizer Complex

The Nitrogenous Fertilizer Complex in Al-Ain Al-Sokhna includes six mega factories to produce nitrogenous fertilizers.

The complex is implemented by ThyssenKrupp AG, a German industrial engineering and steel production multinational conglomerate, in partnership with Egypt’s Petrojet.

The factories, with a total production capacity up to 1.7 million tons/year of phosphate, potassium and nitrogen fertilizers, serve the agricultural sector in Egypt. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, or NPK, are the "Big 3" primary nutrients in commercial fertilizers.

The surplus in production will be exported to nearly 56 countries.

Activities

The event began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, after which the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Nasr Intermediate Chemicals Company, Major General Ehab Abdel Samie, presented a copy of the "Holy Quran" as a souvenir to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Abdel Samie said that his company has inaugurated two factories for the production of medical and industrial gas and a tri-generation power plant in the chemical industries complex in Abu Rawash, Giza governorate.
He further noted that today, President El-Sisi inaugurated a new industrial complex, bringing the total number of industrial complexes of the company to four, adding that the chemical industries complex in Abu Rawash groups 23 factories.

Afterwards a documentary was screened to highlight the contribution of national projects to achieving self-sufficiency of food and improving energy resources.

The documentary shed light on the strategic vision of the Egyptian state to maintain agricultural products and cultivate millions of feddans at al Farafra, east Owaynat, Dabaa and Toshka, in addition to green houses.

The documentary pointed out that El Nasr Company for Intermediate Chemicals (NCIC) achieved a leap in terms of producing the best kinds of fertilizers and seeds during the past eight years.

The documentary also shed light on the ammonia factory whose daily capacity amounts to 1200 tons using Egyptian natural gas as a basic fuel. 

Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation El Sayyed El Quseir asserted in his word at the complex's opening that President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has paid a great attention to the agriculture sector, pointing out that the country has adopted mechanisms and projects that contributed to boosting production of agricultural crops, especially strategic crops in order to establish sustainable agricultural and food systems.

The minister added the establishment of agricultural and food systems has become a pressing challenge facing developing and developed countries as well, stressing that the food gap problem is not only an economic and agricultural issue, but it has become a strategic and political issue that has to do with national and regional security.

El Quseir said that this shows the dire need of doubling efforts to achieve food security for peoples, adding the Egyptian state has adopted a specific strategy for attaining sustainable agricultural development.

He noted that the world has faced serious challenges and crises starting from Covid-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and the bad impacts of climate changes, adding that these challenges have negatively affected supply chains and decreased production of agricultural crops, in addition energy price hikes and production supplies, particularly fertilizers.

The minister also said the Egyptian state has been affected by these world challenges like all countries worldwide., asserting that the Egyptian state was capable of providing safe, healthy and sustainable food to its people thanks to the agricultural development and the wise vision of the political leadership to implement projects.

He added that in accordance with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi's directives, improved seeds are used to cultivate strategic crops.

He highlighted that in 2022, coverage percentage of approved seeds of wheat reached 35%, adding the percentage hit 70% in the current season and the coverage percentage is scheduled to reach more than 100% next year, which means we will have surplus for exportation of all strategic crops, according to him.

El Quseir, meanwhile said the state is supporting the participation of civil society and the promotion of its role in fulfilling national initiatives for scaling up agricultural production.

He pointed out to the economic importance of fertilizers for supporting sustainable agricultural development and providing needs of the agriculture sector of different fertilizers.

The minister said the provision of fertilizers is significant to expand land reclamation and increase agricultural production.

Talking about the project, El Quseir said this complex will contribute to achieving a surplus of fertilizers.

He underscored the ministry is going ahead with implementing directives of President Sisi to provide small planters and farmers with subsidized fertilizers to help them face these current circumstances and boost production rates despite price hikes of fertilizers globally.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi commented on Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation El Sayyed El Quseir’s speech stressing the importance of expanding agricultural area, saying horizontal expansion added 3.5 million feddans to areas in the Delta, Toshka and Central Sinai.

The president said treated water used in the irrigation of farm areas in the Delta is produced by giant water treatment plants pointing out that such treatment projects cost a lot of money.

The president said the government is in race against time to add the 3.5 million feddans to the country's agricultural lands, calling youth and students to visit such projects to see on the ground the progress in the projects, urging for action to expand the agricultural lot in Egypt.

He said that a horizontal expansion over an area of 3.5 million feddans in the Delta, Toshka and Central Sinai regions is equal to about one third of the old cultivated lands, noting that this would very much contribute to agricultural development in Egypt.

He underlined that this entailed much work, time and cost, saying: “We are talking about a project that is not simple and its requirements of water and fertilizers are very huge,” Sisi said, stressing that the horizontal expansion in agriculture would consume large quantities of water.

The President also touched upon two projects to treat agricultural waste water in Sinai and the Delta through big plants, which also needs big money.

President El-Sisi said the best way to use natural gas is not by selling it as fuel, but rather by putting it into other industries to maximize the value added.

He explained that Egypt needs about 800 million dollars to establish big factories to meet local and export demands. This takes long time, noting that in the past securing electric energy and gas was a priority to operate the factories.

The President said: “We’re racing against time for the 3.5 million feddans to come into service as soon as possible.”

He pointed out that for the horizontal expansion to go as planned, water should be secured, noting that that is why the government seeks to build “very expensive” huge plants to treat agricultural wastewater.

The president acknowledged that achieving industrial development, likewise, needs time, effort and a lot of money.

He highlighted that it took three years for the complex of nitrogen fertilizer plants to be completed, adding that previously the government had been acting to secure natural gas needed for the project. Establishing those factories took about four years, the president went on to say.

He said the estimated value of the complex of nitrogen fertilizer plants at about 800 million dollars, not including the cost of the land and utilities.

After that, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi made an inspection tour of the Nitrogen Fertilizer Complex.

President El-Sisi also inspected the main control room of the complex, where he listened to a detailed explanation from the production manager of the nitrogen fertilizer factories.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi posed for a photo-opp with Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, Minister of Defense Mohamed Zaki, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Tareq el Mulla, as well as a number of ministers and officials of El Nasr for Intermediate Chemicals company.

This came after the president's inspection tour following the inauguration of a nitrogen fertilizer complex affiliated to the company in Al-Ain Al-Sokhna.