Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The official visit of the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Uzbekistan in September 2018 certainly became the starting point of a new stage of multifaceted cooperation between Tashkent and Cairo. Along with a whole package of bilateral documents, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the ministries of agriculture. 

Last year, the first meeting of the joint working group on cooperation in the agricultural sector of the two states was held in the format of a videoconference. Today, relations between Uzbekistan and Egypt are reaching a qualitatively new level thanks to the friendly and warm relations between the leaders of our countries. This, accordingly, has a positive effect on the quality of bilateral contacts, including in the field of agriculture, where all the resources and scientific base are available for the progressive development of cooperation.

During the official visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt, the delegation headed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev included the heads of a number of ministries and departments, including the Ministry of Agriculture. A whole range of measures has been defined to establish an effective mechanism for interaction in the cotton industry. 

Egypt, like Uzbekistan, is famous for its cotton, especially its fine-fiber varieties, which are very popular and in demand on the world market. They plan to sow 18,000 hectares in Uzbekistan this year. Taking into account the emerging trends, in accordance with the decree of the head of Uzbekistan in 2022, the Scientific Research Institute of Fine Fiber Cotton Growing was established in the Surkhandarya region. The fact is that the cultivation of these varieties of white gold requires a high temperature throughout the growing season. 

Therefore, potentially the most attractive regions for their cultivation are Surkhandarya, Kashkadarya, Bukhara and Navoi regions. On November 30 last year, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Research Institute of Cotton Breeding, Seed Growing and Agricultural Technologies of Egypt and the domestic Research Institute of Fine Fiber Cotton Growing. Today, the priority is the exchange of the gene pool between these research centers, conducting practical research in the field of growing organic cotton fiber and introducing water-saving technologies, testing Uzbek varieties of fine-staple cotton in Egypt, and coordinating the standards and requirements of the two countries in seed production. Also, one of the important steps to strengthen ties in the field of agriculture is the selection work to create fast-ripening, high-yielding, disease and pest-resistant varieties of fine-staple cotton, and the organization of mutual recognition of patents of Uzbekistan and Egypt.

Within the framework of the current official visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Egypt, a meeting was held between the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan Aziz Voitov and the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of the Arab Republic of Egypt Al-Said al-Kosair.

It was emphasized that in order to increase the volume of mutual trade, it is very important to take measures on phytosanitary and plant quarantine. During the high-level visit, it is planned to sign an agreement on cooperation in this direction. This will speed up the process of reviewing and issuing phytosanitary permits for the import, export and re-export of agricultural products. During the meeting of heads of ministries, issues of developing fine-staple cotton growing, as well as expanding ties in the scientific field, were discussed. Both Uzbekistan and Egypt have higher education institutions with great potential. Thus, it was emphasized that this potential must be used in full.

There are many promising areas in terms of establishing close cooperation in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine. A proposal was made to organize the production of veterinary drugs and feed additives using Egyptian technology in Uzbekistan.

Egypt has extensive experience in intensive fish farming, which also deserves special attention. Despite the remoteness of our two countries from each other, Uzbekistan and Egypt have a lot of points of intersection. And agriculture is no exception. Today, the leadership of the sphere is faced with the task of increasing the volume and range of mutual trade, expanding scientific exchange, and developing new areas of cooperation.

This meeting took place on the eve of the official visit of the head of our state to Egypt. In turn, this dialogue and action plan will be backed up by documents to be signed during the visit.