Cairo, Egypt – 4th May 2025 – The Agricultural Research Center (ARC) welcomed Dr. Tiberio Chiari, the newly appointed Director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in Cairo, on his first official visit to ARC headquarters. The visit aimed to reinforce the long-standing partnership between ARC, AICS, and the Ministry of Agriculture, with a special focus on ongoing collaboration under the EU-Kafi Programme.
Dr. Chiari was joined by Dr. Paolo Curradi, EU-Kafi Programme Coordinator, and Dr. Ahmed El Kot, EU- Kafi Agronomist. The delegation was received by Dr. Adel Abd El-Azim, President of ARC; Dr. Maher El Maghrabi, Vice President of ARC; and Dr. Alaa Elddin Khalil, Director of the Field Crops Research Institute.
In his welcome remarks, Dr. Adel Abd El-Azim highlighted ARC’s role as Egypt’s leading institution for agricultural research, innovation, and sustainability. He emphasized the strong partnership with AICS and the European Union through the EU-Kafi Programme, which focuses on enhancing wheat production. The EU-Kafi Programme “Support to Improve Cereal Crops Production in Egypt” is funded by the European Union and implemented by AICS Cairo, with a special focus on supporting small and medium-scale farmers in the Delta region.
Dr. Chiari affirmed the importance of strengthening agricultural cooperation with Egypt, noting that EU-Kafi represents a vital tool to enhance productivity and food security. He underscored the need for timely, high-quality implementation of programme activities and reaffirmed AICS’s commitment to achieving concrete, sustainable results.
Dr. Curradi reflected on the successful collaboration between ARC and EU-Kafi programme, which has included joint field visits and technical cooperation in targeted areas. He also announced the end of his mission in Egypt and the upcoming appointment of a new EU-Kafi Programme Coordinator.
During the discussion, ARC expressed its sincere appreciation to Dr. Paolo Curradi for his valuable leadership and implementation of the EU-Kafi Programme in collaboration with the European Union. ARC also highlighted its interest in exploring new opportunities for agricultural interventions in Upper Egypt and the New Valley, with a focus on crops of strategic importance to both Egypt and Italy. Dr. Alaa Elddin Khalil presented ARC’s current research priorities, including the development of climate- resilient seed varieties and the advancement of mechanization to enhance wheat productivity.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ARC and AICS Cairo to formalize their collaboration under the EU-Kafi Programme. Plans were also made to organize a series of field visits for Dr. Chiari, including wheat harvest activities and research station tours.
