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​ Prime Minister witnesses the signing of contracts to establish the largest agri-food industries complex in the Middle East, investments amount to $300 million in Sadat City The project provides more than 7,000 direct and indirect job opportunities and aims to export more than 80% of its production abroad Today, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, witnessed, at the government headquarters in the New Administrative Capital, the signing ceremony of contracts for the establishment of the largest agri-food industries complex in the Middle East, in Sadat City. The total investments amounted to about $300 million, between MAFI, a company that manufactures agricultural crops, and representatives of international companies supplying the latest technologies in the field of the agricultural food industry. The signing ceremony was attended by Eng. Ahmed Samir, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Mr. Hossam Heiba, CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones – GAFI CEO. The contracts were signed by Mr. Ahmed Abu Hashima, Chairman of the Board of Directors of MAFI Agricultural Crops Manufacturing Company, Mr. Luca Bordini, General Manager of JBT for the Middle East, a leader in providing technology solutions to the food sectors, Mr. Sunil Kumar, Managing Director of GEA Middle East, which specializes in supplying food processing technology, and Mr. Per Müller, General Manager of Cabinplant, a leading company in the field of developing and supplying solutions for food industries globally. Mr. Ahmed Abu Hashima stressed that this step comes in light of the Egyptian state’s orientation towards maximizing industrial capabilities through a strategy of enhancing exports and substituting imports. MAFI was established to manufacture agricultural crops and to be the owner of this integrated industrial complex to manufacture and export agricultural food products required globally. The aim of establishing the company is to be the fastest-growing manufacturer and exporter of sustainable agri-food products. Abou Hashima pointed out that the agricultural food industries complex is being built on an area of 154 thousand m2, in Developers Area in Sadat City, owned by SDM Company for Development and Management. The complex includes five (5) factories, on top of which two factories that are considered the largest in Egypt in the field of manufacturing concentrates of orange, tomatoes and various fruits, as well as extracting citrus oils. In addition to a factory, that is the first in the Middle East in the field of Cloudy Products, also one of the largest factories in the world in the field of Freeze Dry of fruits and vegetables. The complex also includes a factory for freezing fruits and vegetables. Abou Hashima explained that the complex will produce more than 100 thousand tons of agricultural food products annually in the first phase, using the latest global technologies, in cooperation with major international companies working in this field. He added that this project provides more than 7,000 direct and indirect job opportunities, and aims to export more than 80% of its production abroad, to support the Egyptian economy by achieving a balance between imports and exports. He stressed that the dollar component of this complex is direct foreign financing and investment. For his part, Mr. Luca Bordini, General Manager of JBT, confirmed that MAFI food complex is the largest and most technologically advanced in the Middle East, highlighting the high quality products that this complex will produce for global markets. Mr. Sunil Kumar, Managing Director of GEA, expressed his great pleasure to cooperate with MAFI through establishing one of the largest factories in the world, with the latest Freeze Dry technology, in order to support the food sector in Egypt in increasing its exports to the world continuously, considering that the Egyptian market possesses high potentials.