Egypt has accelerated work on its large-scale New Delta agricultural initiative, a desert reclamation project valued at approximately $15.1 billion aimed at expanding domestic food production, reducing reliance on imports, and generating more than two million jobs.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi launched the latest phase of the project alongside the 2026 wheat harvest on newly cultivated land west of the Nile Delta, highlighting what officials describe as Egypt’s largest land restoration effort to date.
Once fully completed, the New Delta project is expected to span around 2.2 million feddans (roughly 9,000 sq km), increasing Egypt’s cultivated land area by nearly 15 percent. The development focuses on strategic crops such as wheat and corn, alongside vegetables and export-oriented products including olives and figs, as Cairo seeks to strengthen food security and reduce pressure on foreign currency reserves caused by food imports.
According to President Sisi, nearly EGP800 billion (about $15.1 billion) has already been invested in the initiative, covering land rehabilitation, grain storage facilities, industrial zones, and transportation infrastructure linking reclaimed desert areas with the Nile Valley and major ports.
A key component of the project is its large-scale irrigation network. Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources, Hany Sweilem, said agricultural drainage water from the western Nile Delta is being treated at the El Hammam facility on the Mediterranean coast. The plant processes up to 7.5 million cubic metres of water daily before transferring it through a 170-km canal system supported by 13 pumping stations to irrigate desert farmland.
Authorities also plan to develop an additional water-transfer route and pumping infrastructure to support the full 2.2 million-feddan target. The system is designed to transport water from low-lying drainage areas to elevated desert plateaux, despite the significant energy requirements involved.
Egyptian officials say the New Delta initiative forms part of broader efforts to enhance national food resilience following global disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, while addressing the demands of a rapidly growing population.
However, the project has also drawn questions over long-term sustainability, particularly regarding energy consumption, water management, and the expanding role of the military in overseeing strategic development projects.
Despite these concerns, the government views the initiative as a major step toward improving agricultural exports, strengthening self-sufficiency, and supporting long-term economic development.
Source: Business Insider Africa
