Sadat City in Menoufiya, some 80km northwest Cairo, is set to host the largest agricultural food industries hub in the Middle East.
A USD300-million contract was signed on 27 December at the government headquarters in the New Administrative Capital to establish the new complex. The contract was signed between MAFI for agricultural produce industries, and representatives of global companies specialised in agricultural food industry technologies. The international partners include JBT FoodTech and Cabin Plant from the US, as well as GEA from Germany. JBT is a leader in providing technology solutions to the food sectors; Cabinplant is an advanced company in the field of developing and supplying solutions for food industries; and GEA specialises in supplying food processing technology.
Representing MAFI was its CEO Ahmed Abou-Hashima; from JBT its General Manager for the Middle East Luca Bordini; Sunil Kumar, Managing Director of GEA represented his company; and from Cabinplant its General Manager Per Müller.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attended the signing ceremony, and so did Ahmed Samir, Minister of Trade and Industry and Hossam Haiba, CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones.
According to Mr Abou-Hashima, the agri-food industries complex will stand on an area of 154,000 square metres owned by SDM Development and Management Company, in Sadat City. The complex will include five factories; two of them will be the largest in Egypt in the field of manufacturing orange, tomatoes and other food concentrates, in addition to extracting citrus oils. Another factory will be dedicated to Cloudy Products; this is the first of its kind in the Middle East. Another factory will speicalise in freeze drying fruits and vegetables; it is expected to be among the largest in the world. The complex will also include a factory for freezing fruits and vegetables, Mr Abou-Hashima said.
During the first phase of the project, Mr Abou-Hashima pointed out, the complex will produce more than 100,000 tons of agri-food products annually using state-of-the-art global technologies in the field. He divulged that the project will provide some 7,000 direct and indirect job opportunities, adding that it aims to export more than 80 per cent of its production. Mr Abou-Hashima explained that the project looks to support the Egyptian economy through providing foreign investments and contributing to Egypt’s exports.
For his part, JBT’s Luca Bordini, confirmed that the MAFI food complex is the largest and most technologically advanced in the Middle East, pointing to the high quality that this hub will produce for global markets.
Sunil Kumar, CEO of GEA, expressed his great pleasure in cooperating with MAFI by establishing one of the largest factories in the world, with the latest freeze-drying technology. This, he said, would support the Egyptian food sector in its continuous endeavor to increase its exports to the world, especially considering the high potentials of the Egyptian market.
Watani International
28 December 2023