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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 5 - 11 October 2000 Issue No. 502 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 5 - 11 October 2000 Issue No. 502
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Elections Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Empire strikes back
By Mona El FiqiThere has long been speculation over Egypt's signing of a partnership agreement with the European Union. Against this backdrop, two visits by groups of British businessmen suggest that Britain is eager to maintain its position as one of Egypt's main European trade partners.
Cooperation in agrobusiness was at the top of the agenda of the first of two delegations to visit Egypt in recent weeks. The five-day visit by the 33-member mission was organised by the International Centre, a British association that promotes foreign trade.
The delegation, which included two high-level officials from the British Ministry of Agriculture, focused its efforts on exploring the potential for the export of Egyptian fruit and vegetables to Britain.
Mohamed Sear, head of the mission, told Al-Ahram Weekly that British businessmen are seeking Egyptian partners with whom to establish packaging and grading facilities for fruit and vegetables to facilitate their export.
The post-harvest technology that members of the delegation are eager to set up in Egypt was showcased in a seminar conducted by the Britain-based Agricultural Research Centre. This presentation was attended by 200 Egyptian businessmen.
In spite of concerted efforts in the area of agrobusiness the most prominent deal to emerge from the visit was in the area of textiles. A LE25 million textiles factory, using British machinery and technology, will be set up in Alexandria under a joint venture.
Coming at a time when Egypt's entrance into the partnership agreement with the EU appears to be around the corner, the partnership was on the minds of many participants.
Delegation head Sear suggested that on the whole, the partnership will have a positive impact on relations between Egypt and Britain, although making some Egyptian products competitive in Europe will be a challenge. He recommended that Egypt promote its information technology and agricultural products.
Given that Britain is the largest non-Arab investor in Egypt, it is no surprise that Sear's delegation was only one of many British groups to visit Egypt recently in pursuit of business deals. Prominent among these is Connect Egypt Trade Mission, led by Sir David Blatherwick, head of the Egyptian-British Chamber of Commerce and the former British ambassador to Egypt. Currently in Cairo, Blatherwick's group, comprising senior executives representing 60 British companies, is promoting a variety of products and services including compressors, machinery for automotive assembly plants and design engineering.
Joint efforts in 2000 by the British and Egyptian governments to increase trade have already begun to pay off. During the first nine months of this year Egyptian exports to Britain increased by 70 per cent. The trade gap, which continues to be in Britain's favour, has thus been narrowed.
