Egypt realizes the importance of wheat as a strategic food commodity and has made leaps toward food security, Director of the Regional Office for Near East and North Africa of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Abdessalam Ould Ahmed said.

Addressing a symposium on the future of Egyptian bread organized in Cairo by FAO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Ahmed said Egypt is now the world's largest importer of wheat with $2 billion yearly expected to increase to $3 billion in 2024 due to the growing demand on grains.

The 1.5-million-feddan reclamation project is an ambitious one that could improve the situation and fill the food gap in the country, he said.

Source ; MENA