The Forum received �nancial support from the EBRD's Southern and eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) Multi-donor Account (MDA). Donors to the SEMED MDA include Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

With the participation of

Food and Agriculture Organizationof the United Nations

Organized by

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of the Arab Republic of Egypt

Agenda

Cairo, 26-27 June 2013

PRIVATE SECTOR FOR FOOD SECURITYImproving the Investment Climate in Egypt’s Agribusiness Sector

EBRD and FAO are organizing a forum focused on responsible private sector investment and improved public-private policy dialogue in the Egyptian agriculture sector. The forum will explore ways to unleash Egypt’s agricultural potential by increasing private sector investments in food production, improving

Given Egypt’s dependence on international food commodity markets and its susceptibility to food supply shocks, active dialogue between the public and private sectors is key to ensuring a sustainable long-term approach to tackling food security concerns.

Following the success of the high-level inter-regional conference Private Sector for Food Security held in Istanbul in 2012, the EBRD/FAO forum in Cairo will be an exceptional opportunity to strengthen public-private sector dialogue on the

to identify the role that International Financing Institutions (IFIs) like EBRD can play in supporting responsible agricultural investment in Egypt.

Private Sector for Food Security, Istanbul 2012

In September 2012, EBRD and FAO held the high-level inter-regional conference Private Sector for Food Security in Istanbul. The conference, co-chaired by FAO’s Director-General and EBRD’s President, brought together approximately 100 leading regional and global agribusiness companies including, among others, the CEOs/CFOs of Louis Dreyfus, Bunge, Olam, Saipol, Tereos, Astarta, Nibulon, Aston, Razgulay, Yug Rusi, and Tiryaki.

The goal of the Istanbul conference was to promote responsible private sector investments in agrifood chains and to foster the role of the private sector in addressing global food security. It was a unique occasion for private sector executives to discuss key issues with policymakers, including the Ministers of Agriculture of Egypt and Turkey and the Deputy/Assistant Ministers of Agriculture of Bulgaria, the Russian Federation and Serbia. This experience demonstrated that a proactive approach to policy dialogue can lead to improved business conditions for all players in the agrifood chain, from farmers to agro-processors and retailers. For example, a direct consequence of the conference was the intention declared by

facilitate local farmers’ access to short-term credit, with the support of FAO and EBRD.

Takeaways

The forum aims to identify ways to make the agribusiness investment climate in Egypt more attractive, in particular through policy improvements that could unlock private investment opportunities, and investment areas that would enhance Egypt’s food security situation. Investment opportunities will be assessed

Public and private sector participants will have a unique occasion to debate how

will be acquainted with the role that IFIs – such as EBRD – can play in supporting responsible agrifood investments and policy reforms. The intention of the organizers is to create a standing platform for public-private policy dialogue on the development of Egypt’s agriculture sector.

Agenda26 June 19:00-19:10 Welcome

Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, Assistant Director-General, Regional Representative for the Near East, FAO

19:10-19:30 Presentation of MedAgri platformEmmanuel Hidier, Senior Economist, Investment Centre, FAO

19:30-20:00 Presentation of FAO's Private Sector Strategy and Initiatives in Sustainable Principles

20:00-21:00 Private B2B meetings (arranged upon request) 20:00-21:00 Reception

27 June 08:30-09:00 Registration09:00-09:30 Opening by the EBRD and FAO

Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, Assistant Director-General, Regional Representative for the Near East, FAO

Welcome note by H.E. Ahmed Mahmoud Ali El-Gizawy, Minister for Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt

09:30-10:15 Key note presentation followed by panel discussion on Improving Food Security in Egypt: Policy Bottlenecks and Priority Areas for Investment Moderator: Jonathan Charles, Director, Communications, EBRDPanelists:H.E. Ambassador Hisham Bader, Assistant Minister for International Organizations,

Alaa Diab, Chairman, Agricultural Committee, Egyptian Businessmen's AssociationLeonid Kozachenko, President, Ukrainian Agrarian ConfederationGilles Mettetal, Director, Agribusiness, EBRD Piroska Nagy, Director for Country Strategy and Policy Initiatives,

Brendon De Boer, Commercial Manager, Cargill

Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, EgyptMinistry of Trade and Industry, Egypt (TBC)

10:45-12:15 Round table sessions 1 and 2 run in parallel12:15-13:30 Lunch 13:30-15:00 Round table session 3

15:15-16:15 Wrap-up session and recommendations on future public-private policy dialogue16:15-17:00 Closing reception

http://www.eastagri.org/meetings/foodsecurity2013/

Round table topics

Round table 1. Enhancing Egypt’s agricultural export opportunities, with focus on the horticultural sector. Moderator: Andriy Yarmak, Economist, FAO Investment Centre. Expansion of export market opportunities, reduction of post-harvest wastes,

water, energy), improvement of the cold chain, upgrading of food safety and quality standards.

Round table 2. Safety, quality and investment opportunities in Egypt’s livestock and dairy sectors. Moderator: Nadia Petkova, Senior Banker, Agribusiness, EBRD.Bottlenecks and challenges to the competitiveness of the livestock and dairy sectors in Egypt (high feed prices, disease outbreaks, tight credit conditions, quality and safety requirements, etc.). Identifying opportunities for investment in the sector and areas for improved policies.

Round table 3. Moderator: Nikolay Gorbachov,

Grain. Co-chair, Grain Committee of the European Business Association in Ukraine.Investment in storage and port-handling facilities, improvement of import procedures, trade and other policy issues.

Wrap-up session and recommendations on future public-private policy dialogue.

by ideas and recommendations on possible public-private policy dialogue.