The implementation of country projects under the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative in the Near East and North Africa region is launched

Cairo, Egypt – The implementation of the projects under the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative in Near East and North Africa (NENA) countries launched with a grand event and workshop in Cairo, Egypt, from 11 to 13 September 2023. Over 100 participants from 13 countries in the region attended the event in person and virtually. Currently, 10 countries including Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen have already joined the OCOP initiative to promote figs, date palms, pulses, carob, coffee, olives, and harissa. Additionally, four non-OCOP countries, including Oman, Sudan and Libya also joined the event. The date palm, with its historical, traditional, and economic significance in the region, has been spotlighted as a Special Agricultural Product (SAP) by several countries.

The event participants represented the national governments, FAO Regional and Country Offices, the OCOP Secretariat, as well as the partner agencies, including academia, donors, the private sector, the media, the beneficiary farmers and other value chain actors.

Mr. Nasredin Hag Elamin, FAO Representative in Egypt, welcomed the attendees on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and Mohamed Soliman, President of Agricultural Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MALR) – on behalf of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Egypt.

Mr Jingyuan Xia, the Executive Secretary of the OCOP Secretariat, FAO, delivered introductory remarks highlighting the objectives of the OCOP initiative. He emphasized the importance of fostering sustainable value chains for SAPs and their contribution to the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He emphasized Egypt’s role as the demonstration country for three FAO flagship initiatives: the OCOP, the Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control, and the Farmer Field School. Therefore, Mr Xia underscored the potential of the country to serve as a model for other countries in the region to demonstrate the importance of building synergies among these initiatives.

Mr Jingyuan Xia, Executive Secretary of the OCOP Secretariat, is sharing the objectives of the OCOP. ©FAO/Mariam Awlia

Charting progress at all levels

Keynote presentations at the event outlined the progress of the OCOP implementation at the global, regional, and national levels. Mr Hafiz Muminjanov, OCOP Global Coordinator, provided updates on the implementation of OCOP at the global level, stating that 83 countries have officially submitted applications to promote sustainable value chains for 53 SAPs, and that over USD 11 million has been mobilized for implementation of the initiative. Ms Maryam Rezaei, FAO Agro-Industry Officer and OCOP Regional Focal Point in NENA, presented the key regional progress, emphasizing the need to focus on both challenges and opportunities. Mr Mohamed Abdel-Megeed, Chairman of the OCOP National Task Force in Egypt, presented the progress on the OCOP implementation in the country, noting Egypt’s plan to plant 5 million date palm trees by 2025 for both local and international markets. The importance of addressing the gaps in the date palm value chain, particularly losses during storage, handling and marketing was stressed. Mr Zhongliang Xu, Director of the Date Palm Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS), shared China’s experience in date palm value chain development and expressed interest in strengthening collaboration with partners in Egypt through OCOP.

Showcasing Date Palm Excellence

During the workshop on Egypt’s experience in date palm value chain development, Mr. Mohamed Yacoub, Assistant FAO Representative in Egypt shared FAO’s support for date palm value chain development in the country. The representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation and the Ministry of Trade and Industry shared the challenges and achievements of Egypt as the world’s largest date palm producer. This was followed by presentations from international partners, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Date Palm Council, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Arabic Federation of Palm Dates, the China Agricultural University, and the International Association for Palm By-Products (ByPalma).

In conjunction with the event, an impressive variety of date palm varieties and products were showcased.

Date palm exhibition showcasing Egyptian and local date palm fruits and value-added products. ©FAO/H. Muminjanov

On the second day, participants visited the El-Haggan Farm in Wadi El-Notroon, followed by the Linah Farms’ packing facilities in Sadat City and the Central Laboratory for Date Palm Research and Development in Giza. These field visits provided insights into the date palm value chain facilities, and allowed the participants to interact with different stakeholders, including farmers, academics, and traders, opening new avenues for future collaboration.

Participants at the field visit at the El-Haggan Farm. ©FAO/Ahmed Elshemy

Sharing Regional Insights

On the final day, Mr Yurdi Yasmi, FAO Deputy Regional Representative and OCOP Regional Focal Point for Africa, shared experience on OCOP implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa through resource mobilization, the establishment of the Regional Organizing Group and the National Task Forces, as well as the initiation of new projects. The OCOP National Focal Points then presented briefings on the OCOP addressing the existing challenges and potential of SAPs in regional and international markets. The representatives of non-OCOP countries – Oman, Sudan and Libya also selected date palm as the SAP and shared the status of the value chains in the countries.  

The discussion at the workshop revolved around the need for better coordination, technical support, capacity development, multistakeholder engagement, and resource mobilization. The participants shared experiences and compared strategies from different countries to gain insight into resource mobilization, and the development of national work plans.

In the closing session, Mr Ezz El-Din El-Abbasi , Manager of the Central Laboratory for date Palm Research and Development, Mr Abdulhakim Elwaer, FAO Assistant Director-General, Regional Representative for Near East and North Africa and Mr Xia stressed the importance of collaborative efforts to mobilize resources and strengthen partnerships for the coordinated implementation of OCOP initiative at the national and regional levels, supporting small-scale and family farmers, as well as all actors within the value chains, advancing sustainable and resilient agriculture in the region. Particularly, Mr Elwaer emphasized that through the implementation of the OCOP country projects, productive and resilient agrifood systems will be created to improve food security and nutrition for all, increase the quality and productivity of crops, and reduce food waste.