Cairo: Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam asserted his ministry's commitment to strengthening cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation and to removing any obstacles facing joint files through continuous coordination between the two ministries. He stressed that such cooperation contributes to developing the water management system, serving beneficiaries and advancing food security.

According to State Information Service Egypt, Sewilam's remarks came during a meeting of the joint coordination committee between the ministries of irrigation and agriculture. The meeting, co-chaired by the ministers of both ministries and attended by senior officials from both sides, aimed to review the status of joint projects and explore avenues for further collaboration in support of the water and agricultural systems.

For his part, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Alaa Farouk underlined the close coordination between the two ministries aimed at enhancing agricultural performance, maximizing crop productivity, and achieving food security.

During the meeting, participants reviewed the completion of the first phase of the private irrigation canals digitization project, finalized earlier this month. Implemented jointly by the two ministries, the project included the establishment of a digital platform for private irrigation canals and the entry of data for more than 22,000 irrigation canals, with a total length exceeding 17,000 kilometers. The first phase covered 11 general irrigation directorates across seven governorates and was carried out by 44 joint working teams.

The two ministers emphasized the importance of digitizing private irrigation canals to enable continuous monitoring of their condition, identify canals requiring cleaning by beneficiaries, and develop future plans for upgrading non-improved irrigation canals.

They further stressed the importance of establishing a central unit comprising officials from both ministries to plan and monitor the implementation of targeted on-farm irrigation development and the application of modern irrigation systems, building on the previously signed financing protocol.

The ministers highlighted the need for governance and strict oversight at all stages, from design and tendering to implementation and impact evaluation.