The pandemic disrupted food supplies around the world, threatening the 822 million people already experiencing chronic undernourishment, and posing an even greater danger to the 113 million people in need of life-saving food assistance.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has compounded the already significant global problem of food insecurity, particularly in countries with low incomes. According to a report published by World Bank in December 2023, 61.9% of low-income countries have seen inflation rise above 5%. In real terms, food price inflation surpassed overall inflation in 74% of the 167 countries surveyed by World Bank.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there was a marked increase in trade-related policies imposed by various countries. The global food crisis has been worsened by a rising tide of food trade restrictions implemented by countries with the goal of boosting domestic supply to reduce prices. As of December 11, 2023, 19 countries had implemented 27 food export bans.
Home to 6% of the global population, the MENA region also accounts for 12.2% of the world’s undernourished population, a Middle East Council on Global Affairs report suggests. Coupled with the global challenges of an economic slowdown and climate change, both of which have taken a heavy tool, MENA countries are also grappling with their own internal issues of overreliance on conventional agricultural techniques and unstable food import systems.
Addressing Barriers to Food Security
Across MENA, addressing diverse barriers to food security will require a laser sharp focus on enhancing the region’s food production capacity while simultaneously strengthening cooperation between regional and global actors. Governments across the Middle East are investing significantly in resources to increase food security and self-sufficiency. Since the pandemic, the importance of food security has taken center stage, with supply chains across the region severely strained. Conflict in the Ukraine has deepened the problem, with Middle Eastern nations suffering a lack of supplies, triggering astronomical price increases.
The Global Food Security Report ranks 113 countries all over the world in terms of their food security. In the latest report, the United Arab Emirates came in at 23rd place in the report, making it the best performing GCC country. While Qatar ranked 30th and Oman 35th, Saudi Arabia came in at a surprising 41st place, with Jordan 47th, and Kuwait 50th. If these countries are to rise in the rankings, there will need to be more collaboration between the government, the agricultural and food industries and academics, with MENA nations leveraging cutting-edge innovations in the agritech space to bolster their food supply chains.
Groundbreaking Project
In Egypt, a groundbreaking project has seen the creation of not only the largest fish farm in Egypt and the Middle East, but one of the biggest aquafarming projects in the world. Situated on the international coastal road in Kafr El-Sheikh governate, the “Ghalioun Pool” was commissioned by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at a cost of 14 billion EGP. As well as intensive fish farming units and a fish and shrimp hatchery, the plant also includes several factories, and is supervised by the National Company for Fish Resources and Aquaculture.
In terms of the world’s most productive fish farming nations, Egypt ranks an impressive seventh, and first for Africa, producing 236 thousand tons, representing 16% of total global production.
4,000-Acre Fish Farm
On November 18, 2017, the first phase of the Ghalioun Pond fish farming project was inaugurated by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The site includes a 4,000-acre fish farm with 1,359 shrimp and fish ponds, as well as a research area, hatchery, fry production, and 55-acre industrial zone, featuring a fish processing and packaging plant with a 100 ton per day production capacity. The development also includes a feed production plant with a 180,000 ton per year production capacity, as well as an ice production plant capable of producing 60 tons of ice annually.
Created to bridge the food gap in the fish sector, the project was also launched with the mission of reducing illegal immigration, situated in the Kafr El-Sheikh governate, through which more illegal immigrants pass than any other governate in Egypt. The project was commissioned to help drive up local employment rates and prosperity by creating circa 5,000 jobs. The project has helped to reduce fish imports by approximately 27%, reducing the problem of overfishing in the Red Sea. Producing high quality types of mullet fish and shrimp, the farm has helped to achieve local self-sufficiency with the surplus exported, providing fish and seafood of high nutritional value in a controlled environment well away from any sources of pollution.
Projects like Ghalioun Pond are predicted to play a major role in helping MENA countries to improve food security, harnessing the power of technologies to transform the farming industry in climate-stressed regions. From soil restoration and gene editing for plant resistance to regenerative agriculture, farmers across the region are increasingly turning to modern innovations to make systems more effective and productive, in turn making food more abundant for consumers, and driving down prices for local residents.
Ghalioun Aquafarm May Help Boost Food Security in the Middle East
