Monday 09/February/2026 – 02:54 PM
Status of Alaa Farouk, Minister Agriculture Today, Major General Dr. Khaled Mujawar, Governor of North Sinai, laid the foundation stone for the rehabilitation and reconstruction work of the Desert Research Station in the city of Sheikh Zuweid, with the aim of restoring the spirit to one of the most important scientific and research edifices in the Sinai Peninsula, in a step that embodies the will of the Egyptian state in the battle of construction and reconstruction.
The reconstruction work, which is being carried out by the Arab Contractors Company, comes to erase the effects of sabotage and destruction that affected the station during the past periods of turmoil that the city of Sheikh Zuweid witnessed, and the terrorist acts of the past.
The station’s area is 18 acres, and it is one of the main stations of the Desert Research Center in Sinai, and includes the “Plant Gene Bank for Egyptian Deserts.”
Mr. Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, confirmed that the revival of this station comes in implementation of the directives of the political leadership to place Sinai on the map of sustainable development, in addition to this step consolidating the state’s scientific and service presence in the heart of Sinai.
Farouk stressed the importance of this station returning to its previous form, as an entity that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Desert Research Center is proud of, to be the technical arm of the Ministry to support Sinai farms and provide seedlings and genetic assets that are appropriate to the nature of the region, pointing out that all capabilities will be provided for the station to return to an important center for research in areas with a desert nature.
A message to the world that Sinai has closed the page on terrorism forever
The minister added that the reconstruction of Sheikh Zuweid station is a message to the whole world that Sinai has turned the page on terrorism and begun the era of actual construction, within the framework of the political vision of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, adding that the ministry is setting its sights on transforming the results of scientific research in the “gene bank” into a tangible reality that increases the productivity of acres in desert lands.
Farouk stressed that the Sinai farmer is a partner in development, and that what the Egyptian state provides to him today is a small part of their rights, and that the Ministry of Agriculture will spare no effort in providing technical and logistical support to ensure the sustainability of their agricultural projects.
For his part, Major General Dr. Khaled Mujawar, Governor of North Sinai, praised the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture in North Sinai, noting that all state agencies are working on all strategies at the same time, as during the launch of the rehabilitation of the station, the wounded and sick Palestinians are being received for treatment in Egyptian hospitals, and aid is being brought into the sector.
In his speech during the ceremony of inaugurating the station’s rehabilitation project, in the presence of the leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Desert Research Center, the North Sinai Governorate, members of the governorate’s House of Representatives and Senate, and the sheikhs and elders of Sinai, Dr. Hossam Shawky, head of the Desert Research Center, explained the strategic importance of the station and the efforts to rehabilitate it, as it includes the first gene bank for the Egyptian deserts, as it is an essential pillar for food security and preserving environmental diversity.
He pointed out that this step would reconnect scientific research with the needs of the local community, as well as providing sustainable agricultural solutions to the people of Sinai, pointing out that the Sheikh Zuweid station is the main station of the Desert Research Center in North Sinai Governorate, and one of the basic pillars of research work in the governorate, as the Desert Research Center has 11 research stations nationwide, including 5 research stations in Sinai, in addition to 3 centers for integrated agricultural development services in Sinai, which reflects The strategic importance of the region in plans for scientific research and sustainable agricultural development.
The Minister, the Governor and their companions inspected the station and some of its greenhouses, as well as some models of the Desert Research Center’s products and Sinai products. A full explanation of the work scheduled to be implemented to rehabilitate the station was also heard.
The Minister of Agriculture and the Governor of North Sinai distributed some of the Ministry of Agriculture’s gifts and various food products to the people of the region, on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, and within the framework of the Ministry’s efforts in this regard. He also presented the governorate with quantities of various products, including table eggs and poultry, and some food commodities, for distribution to the people of Sheikh Zuwayed, as well as some in-kind and development grants directly to the farmers of the region.
Almond and olive seedlings were also distributed to the people of Sheikh Zuweid and farmers, as well as the distribution of poultry models to support rural families, in addition to the delivery of a water desalination plant and backpack sprinklers to serve agricultural operations.
For their part, the sheikhs, elders of North Sinai, and members of Parliament affirmed their full support for the state’s efforts, considering that the return of the Desert Research Station to work is a new victory added to the record of victories on the land of turquoise.
