Matrouh,, Egypt - Under the framework of the project on “Water harvesting and Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) for improved livelihoods and increased and sustained production in Matrouh rain-fed agricultural areas”, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) distributed today, 40 Damsacus bucks to 40 beneficiaries, including 5 women.

The project, implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MALR) and funded by the European Union via its Joint Rural Development Programme (EU-JRDP), aims at improving livestock production and living conditions as well as contributing to improved income and nutrition.

General Magdi El-Gharably, Governor of Matrouh; Mr. Hussein Gadain, FAO Representative in Egypt; and Dr. Moustafa Abdel-Raszek, Director of the Animal Production Research Institute (APRI), have attended the celebration. Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation andEU-JRDP, have also participated in the celebration, along with representatives from the Agriculture Directorate, the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), the Agricultural Cooperative, agricultural associations and farmers have attended the celebration.

Last month, FAO distributed 40 Damascus bucks and 30 processing units to 70 beneficiaries in Matrouh. Last year, FAO also distributed 250 Barki goats to 50 Breadwinner women, with five goats per woman and a half-ton of feed.

During the celebration, Gen. Magdi El-Gharably indicated that the governorate provides all forms of support to ensure success implementation of this project. He emphasized that many industries can be built, in parallel to this project, such as leather and wool industries. Therefore, he called for continuation of project activities, appropriate exploitation of the animal and plant resources in the governorate, and teaching the new generations how to benefit from these resources.

Throughout the project’s three stages, 330 Barki and Damascus bucks, and 30 units for milk and butter processing wereprovided to 160 beneficiaries in four centers in Matrouh governorate. Moreover, FAO implemented, along with its partners, a series of activities that include four main components: water harvesting; propagation of good agricultural practices; and improvement of livestock production, household- level nutrition, and rangeland. More activities are still being implemented under this project,” said Mr. Hussein Gadain, FAO Representative.

“We hope to implement more projects to participate in the rural and agriculture development programme. EU-JRDP is funding three other projects in Matrouh governorate, in collaboration with different research and governmental institutions, with a total budget of 83.2 million EGP,” said Dr Eslam El Fadly, Field Officer of Matrouh sub Programme Management Unit, under EU-JRDP.

The European Union- Joint Rural Development Programme (EU-JRDP) is a rural development intervention under the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD) in Egypt, a policy initiative of the European Union translating its commitment to inclusive growth and stability in its neighbourhood and is implemented by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. The total cost of the Programme is €21, 89 million entirely financed by the European Union. EU-JRDP duration is five years (2015-2019).