Conference aims to develop agribusiness in Upper Egypt

THE private, non-profit organisation, ACDI/VOCA, together with the New Zealand Embassy, hosted the Conference on Boosting Agricultural Investment in Upper Egypt, on 25 September at the M?venpick Cairo. The meeting, attended by investors, NGOs, consultancies and government decision makers, centered on a USAID programme implemented five years ago by ACDI/VOCA to develop the tomato and horticultural value chains in the southern part of Egypt. The programme, Agribusiness Linkages/GDA, established the country as a net exporter of tomato paste, and demonstrated the smallholder producers’ ability to provide high-quality, traceable products. In the conference, participants evaluated the programme and discussed further tapping the region’s agribusiness potentials.