The document discusses food loss and waste (FLW) in Egypt and efforts to address it. It outlines how reducing FLW fits into Egypt's agricultural development strategy to increase incomes and food security. The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MALR) and Agricultural Research Center (ARC) are working to implement best practices to improve crop quality and storage. This includes research on drying methods, storage structures, and increasing value-added processing. Next steps include surveying losses, improving infrastructure, research to boost quality, and encouraging public-private partnerships to jointly reduce FLW.

1. The role of ARC & MALR in
addressing food loss & waste
(FLW) in Egypt
By
Dr. Nabih A. Ibrahim
Amal M.H. Abdel- Haleem
Senior Researcher- Food Technology
Research Institute- Agricultural

2. Outlines
The outlines will answering the following questions:
 How does food loss & waste (FLW) fit into
Egypt’s Sustainable Agriculture Development
Strategy 2030?
 How are ARC, MALR, and other national
institutions addressing FLW?
 What next steps are needed to tackle with FLW,
from the perspective of the government?

3. Introduction

4. Agricultural Sector in Egypt
PERCENT
GDP 17%
share in employment 30%
livelihood 50%
Agriculture was and continues to be a vital sector in Egypt’s economy,
accounting for:

5. Introduction
In Egypt the main productions are wheat, rice, cotton, beans, fruit,
vegetables (particularly onion and tomato), poultry, cattle, water
buffalo, sheep and goats.
 The country is self-sufficient in rice, sorghum and onions.
 Self-sufficiency reaches 75%-80% for barley and sugar cane.
 coverage of consumption requirements is only :
 49 % for wheat, beans and maize,
 about 30% for vegetable oils and,
 5% for lentils, soybeans, other oil crops.
 Amongst all of this, only very few amount (about 0.3% - less than 1%)
subjected to agro- industry.

6. • Securing food will require several strategic choices through better crop yields
and reduction in the postharvest handling losses of food along the supply chain
until it reaches the consumer.
• Reduction in the postharvest losses not only will save on the availability of the
food but will also improve the efficiency of production.
• The main causes of these losses were due to the improper methods of harvesting,
storage, transportation and processing of the crop.
• Losses vary by crop, variety, year, infestation magnitude, storage type, drying
method, handling techniques, transportation method and distribution system.
• Postharvest losses lead to losses in market opportunities and nutritional value
through the reduction in food quality and food safety.
• Good postharvest management can reduce food losses and can improve the
quality and safety whilst enhancing supply-chain efficiencies, rural income and
employment.
losses during postharvest handling, processing, storage, and
distribution of locally produced and imported agronomic food
crops

7. Egypt produce 8.5 million tons / year.
13- 15%
Harvesting Baking
One million tons/ annually
• Wheat loss

8. Losses of grain due to pests

9. Stored Wheat produced from local farms in
Egypt

10. Uncovered transport Losses of grain during handling

11. • At the 18- 20 % moisture level the corn must be dried as fast as
possible, but unfortunately due to the non-existence of corn dryers in
Egypt, the corn is left to dry in the open air either shelled or as cobs.
This long drying period causes losses in terms of quantity and
quality of the grain.
• Quantity losses are due mainly to insects and bird infestation in
addition to spillage, while the quality losses are due to higher
mycotoxin levels which are detrimental for the feed industry.
• Establishing corn grain collection centers with proper drying and
storage methods at the farmer's level or at the cooperatives level
will be crucial in minimizing the level of losses and hence
providing better income for the farmers.
corn

12. Rice
• The average losses during harvesting, transportation and threshing on a
national basis were 25.3%.
• Moisture content of the rice grain was another important factor in
increasing the breakage. At 14% moisture breakage was 5.3% compared to
9.3% at 20% moisture.
•

13. Village rice milling
20-30% losses

14. Problem:
losses during postharvest handling, processing, storage, and
distribution of locally produced and imported horticultural food
crops (fruits and vegetables)

15. Over-loading of transport vehicles is a common cause
of postharvest damage in Egypt

16. Reducing these losses in order to increase food availability and
food security for the Egyptian population is much less costly
than increasing production by expanding production area
and/or productivity per hectare and/or by increasing imports.
How does reducing food loss & waste (FLW) fit into
Egypt’s Sustainable Agriculture Development
Strategy 2030?
Implementation of innovation in the Agri-food chain,
promoting higher quality, sustainability and
competitiveness, with particular reference to smallholders.
Increase in real incomes and standards of living for the rural population, as well
as greater food security for the country as a whole

17. How are ARC, MALR, and other
national institutions addressing
FLW?

18. Implement Postharvest Handling
Best Practices to Improve the
Quality of different Crops

19. • An inter-disciplinary science and includes techniques
applied to agricultural produce after harvesting for its
protection, conservation, processing, packaging,
distribution, marketing and utilization,
• Meets food and nutritional requirements of consumers.
• Preventing postharvest losses,
• Improving nutrition and adding value to food products
will generate jobs, reduce poverty and enhance food
security and the growth of economy by improving the
livelihoods of people.
Postharvest technology

20. New Trends in Agro-industry in
Egypt
Stored Wheat in plastic silos

21. New Trends in Agro-industry in
Egypt

22. Increase the value addition of the food
waste through the bioconversion into
biomass

23. 2. Zero energy storage structure

24. • Effective solar drying methods

25. 1- Lower cost small scale storage facilities
1. Improved Cellar Storage

27. Liners for existing s
Liner in palm rib crate container Liner in wooden crate container

28. • Farmers/Siwa
• Food processors
• FTC/ IMC
• Food Technology Research
Institute.
• Horticultural Research Institute.
• Central Laboratory for Palm
Research
• Agricultural Economics Institute
• Agricultural Engineering
Institute
• Agricultural extension and rural
development research institute.
• Central Administration of
Agricultural Extension
• EOS- Egyptian Organization for
Standardization & Quality
Development of Date Industruy

29. • Small &Big farmers.
• Millers (private or holding)
• Private food processors
• NGO: HEIA Horticultural
Export Improvement
Association.
• EMS Egyptian Milling Society
• Egyptian Holding Company
for silos and storage.
• Cimbria Co.
• Food Technology Centers
•
• Food Technology Research
Institute.
• Horticultural Research
Institute.
• Agricultural Economics.
Institute
• Agricultural Engineering
Institute
• Agricultural extension and
rural development research
institute.
• Central Administration of
Agricultural Extension
• EOS- Egyptian Organization
for Standardization & Quality
stakeholders

30. • Fish farms
• Food processors
• Egyptian Fishermen
Association
• Food Technology Research
Institute.
• General Authority for Fish
• Some Agriculture colleges
• Agricultural extension and
rural development research
institute.
• Central Administration of
Agricultural Extension
•
The deterioration of the quality of a large proportion of
fish& fishery products during the production and marketing
chain
stakeholders

31. • poultry farms
• slaughterhouses
• Food processors
• Food Technology Research
Institute
• Animal Health Research
Institute.
• VACSERA
• GOVS General Authority for
Veterinary Services
• Agricultural extension and rural
development research institute.
• Central Administration of
Agricultural Extension
through the application of good practices during the
production stages as well as GMP in the slaughterhouses,
as well as the application of GHP of workers in this field,
including the stages of transport and cold distribution
Development of poultry farms
and slaughterhouses

32. • Dairy farms
• Cooperative associations
• EMPA- Egyptian Milk
Producers Association
• Food Technology
Research Institute.
• Agricultural extension
and rural development
research institute.
• Central Administration of
Agricultural Extension
Establishment receiving or collecting centers, cold chain
facilities at the level of milk producing villages or
manufacturing plants.
Developing the method of collecting and
manufacturing dairy products

33. What next steps are needed to tackle with FLW, from
the perspective from the government?
1- Survey the magnitude and causes of losses in quality and quantity during food
chain.
2- Assess locally available tools and facilities for harvesting, packaging, transport,
storage, processing and marketing of each commodity.
3- Research development to improve the quality of the products up to international
standards and to produce new products that meet consumer demands.
4- Encouraging the development of an on-farm, low-cost drying process that is able
to bring down the moisture content of grains to 13% as fast as possible to reduce
losses.
5- Encouraging the establishment of grain collection centers where farmers can
outsource the drying operation to a third party service provider, be it a farmer's
cooperative or a totally private enterprise.
6- Governments should have installed in their silo storage facilities dryers capable
of drying large quantities of grain at the municipality, governorate or region level.

34. 7- With adequate investment and training, food losses could be
drastically reduced.
8- Encouraging the collaboration between the private and public
sector to jointly reduce food waste and share responsibility.
9-Increasing the role of rural women in producing and processing
agricultural products for domestic and global markets.
10- Training farmers to be reliable food-chain partners

35. Thank You