Egypt moves to scale organic fertilizer from agricultural, livestock waste

EGYPT – Egypt is advancing concrete steps toward a greener agricultural future following a high-level meeting held on Sunday, August 10, between Minister of Local Development and Acting Environment Minister Manal Awad and Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Alaa Farouk.

The meeting focused on fast-tracking conversion of agricultural and livestock residue into biogas and organic fertilizer, a move consistent with the nation’s green transition and circular economy ambitions.

Present at the meeting were senior officials from both ministries alongside representatives of the Biogas Energy Foundation for Sustainable Development, and experts spanning slaughterhouse management, agricultural extension, and livestock development.

Minister Awad reiterated that the government is committed to advancing projects that maximize the use of agricultural residues, slaughterhouse waste, and animal manure through biogas units, citing a pilot scheme underway at the Kafr Shukr slaughterhouse in Qalyubeya as a model for future modernized abattoirs.

She urged expansion of medium- and large-scale biogas installations at farms, slaughterhouses, and hotels, to strengthen biogas and organic fertilizer output, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Egypt’s agricultural exports.

Minister Farouk framed the strategy as a strategic transformation, turning environmental challenges into sustainable solutions, calling agricultural and animal waste valuable resources that can be harnessed through biogas units to produce organic fertilizers and bioenergy.

He stressed the Agriculture Ministry’s capability, citing existing technical expertise and training infrastructure to support adoption by farmers and producers.

Advisor Zaghloul Khedr outlined feasibility studies showing biogas systems capable of processing 600 to 1,200 cubic meters of waste daily, productive in electricity generation and fertilizer feedstock. He noted Egypt exported 6.5 million tonnes of agricultural products last year, and ranks seventh globally in chemical fertilizer output, indicating substantial cross-sector impact potential.

The Biogas Energy Foundation has already implemented 2,000 biogas units across 19 governorates, producing approximately 2.152 million cubic meters of gas annually, the equivalent of 86,000 LPG cylinders, and yielding around 50,000 tonnes of organic fertilizer.

Active projects include a Giza Zoo biogas unit, a Beni Suef collaboration with the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and a joint initiative with Italy’s Eni to establish a large-scale plant with a 5,000-cubic-meter-per-day capacity and capability to collect 134 tonnes of animal waste daily.

To solidify this momentum, the ministers agreed to form a committee charged with drafting a comprehensive plan to scale up these enterprises, accelerating implementation and optimizing utilization of all agricultural and livestock by-products in support of Egypt’s environmental sustainability and green transition framework.

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