March 25, 2019
Horticultural Crop Service Center
Cairo, Egypt

ADMINISTRATOR GREEN: I want to give a special thank you to Dr. Ezz El-Din Abu Steit, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation and Councilor Mostafa Alham, Governor of Luxor, for joining us here today to mark this occasion. You and your staff have provided critical guidance and support throughout the project design and launch process. The United States is highly appreciative for all that you have done in support of this great endeavor. I would also like to welcome all the agricultural technical school graduates, farmers, and members of agricultural associations who are here today. I look forward to meeting with some of you right after our event.

As the USAID Administrator, I believe that the purpose of our assistance must be ending its need to exist. And what I mean by that is, we believe in the desire of every person, every community, and every country to craft and lead its own bright future. We also believe that where there are countries and leaders who are willing to make investments and to take on challenges, then we as Americans must walk with you along the way in that journey.

At USAID, helping our partners to improve agricultural productivity is one of our very highest priorities because we know that advancing food security is an essential way to get to prosperity and to self-reliance. And because of this, USAID has long worked with the people and the Government of Egypt to help grow this agricultural sector.

Our efforts to date have indeed been productive. Egypt's agricultural export revenue increased from $10 million in 1996 to $2.3 billion last year. That growth equals tens of thousands of good paying jobs for the people of this country, all over this country. This new project will build on that success by applying Feed the Future's approach right here in Egypt. Feed the Future tries to build resilient communities by equipping people with tools to feed their families, grow their businesses, and withstand whatever challenges may come their way. It is what we Americans call a "hand up, not a hand out." To achieve that goal, the project will work directly with farmers to increase productivity along the entire value chain, beginning on the farm and ending when products reach consumers. It will train farmers with best practices to increase harvests. It will introduce innovative technologies to improve efficiency and strengthen market linkages so that farmers can more easily sell products and grow their businesses.

Now today, just now, I've spoken a lot about numbers. But we know this is about more than numbers. For your young people, this is about the future. It is about opportunities. It is about learning new ways to help raise families. And for those of you who are farmers who have been around for a while, we know that farming is also about the character of a community. And strengthening farming strengthens communities and strengthens families.

Again, we are very proud of our partnership with all of you and with the Government of Egypt, and we look forward to working with you more and more in the future. Thank you.