Egypt and Sudan have started practical and serious steps towards integration between the irrigation and the agriculture sectors through a partnership between the Sudanese-Egyptian Company for Construction and Irrigation and the Sudanese Egyptian Company for Agricultural Integration.

This came during a meeting of the general assembly of the Sudanese - Egyptian Company for Construction and Irrigation held here under the chairmanship of the Egyptian and Sudanese ministers of irrigation and agriculture.

The meeting concluded with the two sides agreeing to increase the volume of the company's business and implement all construction works of the Egyptian-Sudanese Company for Agricultural Integration by direct orders.

Egyptian Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Hossam Moghazi said both companies are keen on giving a model example of integration of companies, noting that integration between the two countries was launched in the late-1970s with some 26 companies. Only these two companies continued the integration projects, he said.

He called for dispatching a delegation of the company to the premises of the project, established on an area of 100,000 feddans, in Damazin district to assess the needs of the companies as regards the infrastructure and other water resources equipment.

He asserted the importance of the Sudanese-Egyptian Company for Construction and Irrigation doing expansion works in digging water wells and collecting rain water in Damazin district in the Blue Nile state all over the year and not only in the winter season.

Also, Egyptian Agriculture Minister Salah Hilal asserted the importance of integration between the two companies and made a tour on Sunday accompanied by his Sudanese counterpart of the company's premises in Damazin.

Meanwhile, Sudanese Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Ibrahim Adam was upbeat over the increase of the volume of projects of the Egyptian-Sudanese Company for Construction and Irrigation from EGP one million to EGP 6 million.