OREANDA-NEWS. December 02, 2010.  From the 23rd till the 25th of November 2010, the Ukrainian-Egyptian business forum chaired by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov with the participation of relevant ministries and representatives of Ukrainian business was held in the capital of Egypt, Cairo. The relationships between the two countries in the agricultural sector were shown during the forum.

Within the frames of the visit Mykola Azarov met with President Hosni Mubarak and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Also the Head of the Ukrainian government met with the Prime Minister of Egypt Ahmed Nazif. After the meeting under the leadership of heads of governments of two countries, the sixth meeting of joint Ukrainian-Egyptian Intergovernmental Commission on economic and scientific-technical cooperation was held, on the basis of which several bilateral documents were signed.

The Prime Ministers of Ukraine and Egypt in particular discussed possible deliveries of Ukrainian grain to the Egyptian market.

“During our meeting with Mr. Prime Minister in a tкte-а-tкte, we discussed the possibility of supply of Ukrainian wheat to Egyptian market. We have agreed on the necessity of establishing direct contacts, as Ukraine can meet the needs of the Egyptian wheat market”, - said Ahmed Nazif.

Mykola Azarov noted that very promising for the states is cooperation in the field of agriculture: “Ukraine has supplied 1 million tons of grain to Egypt, and supplies can be vastly greater”.

The Prime Minister noted that Ukraine and Egypt have agreed to establish a working group led by the Minister of Agrarian Policy Mykola Prysyazhnyuk that will develop the project on cooperation in the sphere ofagro-industrial complex and identify ways to its implementation.

Cooperation between the two countries in the sphere of agriculture is extremely urgent. The largest importer of Ukrainian corn is Egyptian group of companies "Cairo Three A" (the Chairman is Ayman Mohamed Abdou El Ryefaat Hamil). Grain is usually supplied by one of the leading agricultural producers and exporters of Ukraine “NIBULON”, which is a sort of bridge of cooperation between the two countries in the agricultural sector. Cooperation of the national company with the Egyptian partners is crucial to further development of trade relations between Ukraine and Egypt in matters of supply of grain and food security of Egypt, and for Ukraine it is also providing a stable and promising market for the supply of grown grain.

According to Deputy General Director of “NIBULON” Andriy Vadaturskyy: “Ukraine, having fertile land traditionally exports grains and thus is one of the largest exporting countries in the world, and Egypt traditionally imports grain, with large population and small volume of grain production. Therefore, we are weirded to trade with each other.

Today “NIBULON” is considered the leader of Ukrainian grain supplies to world markets. The company’s leading position is supported by exports of agricultural products. Past 2009/2010 marketing year, the company ended with the result of over 4,8 million tons vs 4,6 million tons previous year, providing a supply of Ukrainian grain to over 65 countries. The company has rightfully gained the title of “National grain trader” with dignity and represents Ukraine on the world grain markets.

By 2005, Egypt market was almost closed for Ukrainian corn. The main reason was the poor quality of the delivered grain. “NIBULON” is the first of all operators of the Ukrainian grain market entered the Egyptian market with supplies of domestic corn. Due to the cooperation of “NIBULON” with the largest Egyptian importer "Cairo Three A", experience and corn quality requirements in Egypt has been thoroughly studied. Specialists of quality control services of “NIBULON” took part in the training program on quality of corn and sorghum, which was held in Egypt in the “Regional Centre for Food” under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture of Egypt. At the same time, representatives of importers are working with “NIBULON”, making inspection of product quality that is shipped from Ukraine.

The result of this cooperation was not only opening of Egyptian market for the Ukrainian corn but also the permanent dynamic growth of presence of Ukraine in it as one of the main suppliers of corn.

“NIBULON” has also contributed to significant increase of supplies of Ukrainian wheat to market in Egypt. For a long time quality of wheat grown in Ukraine was lower than, for example, in Russia. This was a serious deterrent factor for Ukrainian companies as to entering the international markets of food grain. The main reason for this was considerable destruction of Ukrainian wheat by most harmful factor - corn-bug. Due to the assumed measures of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine headed by Mykola Azarov, experience and knowledge of “NIBULON”, which owns the advanced agricultural technologies, Ukraine got the opportunity to be represented with honor in the international wheat market and above all in Egyptian market. The company has significantly promoted its activity of supply of Ukrainian wheat to Egyptian market.

It is important that ensuring of the competitiveness of Ukrainian grain has become possible through the implementation of innovative investment program on the revival of navigation along the Dnipro and other water ways of Ukraine within the framework of modern elevator storages and its own fleet.

Indeed, “NIBULON” and "Cairo Three A" has been successfully cooperating towards supplies of Ukrainian corn and wheat to Egypt for over 3 years. The last one with a direct involvement of “NIBULON” ensured leading share of supply of Ukrainian corn to the Egyptian market: 35% in 2008, 65,9% in 2009 and 73,7% in 2010.

Total volume of Ukrainian corn delivered to the Egyptian market in 2009/2010 marketing year increased tenfold (30%) compared with the previous and has every reason to further growth; wheat respectively increased almost thrice (12%).

For a reason  during the business forum Oleksiy Vadaturskyy said that it is the agricultural sector in Ukraine that is one of the priority areas of development and it will give a powerful impetus to the development of not only trade relations between the two countries, but also of the economy as a whole. He also noted that three-year collaboration with the Egyptian company shows a high reputation of the Ukrainian company, whose products meet the severe requirements of the importing country. The fact that the quality of Ukrainian corn is growing from year to year and it can compete with American, representatives of the Egyptian company were convinced during the visit to the transshipment terminal of “NIBULON” this year in September.

Signing of memorandum on cooperation on further development of relations and the supply of Ukrainian corn to the Arab Republic of Egypt and wheat in 2011 by the two companies during the forum has become the logical result of a long partnership, an expression of intent to transfer the partnership to the new qualitative level.

In the synthesis of such cooperation at all government levels it will give a very positive effect: the ability to expand cooperation, to promote the Ukrainian agricultural products on international market and this, in turn, will ensure stability of prices for products and Ukrainian farmers’ confidence in the future.