Required Report - public distribution

**Date:** 7/20/2006

**GAIN Report Number:** EG6020

EG6020

**Egypt**

Biotechnology

**Annual Agricultural Biotechnology Report**

2006

**Approved by:**

![](media/image1.wmf)Kurt Seifarth

#### U.S. Embassy

**Prepared by:**

Salah Mansour

**Report Highlights:**

Egypt is a leading country in the Middle East/North Africa region in the
development and acceptance of agricultural biotechnology. It consumes
large quantities of biotech products such as corn and soybeans but has
not started to produce biotech products itself. The country has a large
and highly sophisticated agricultural research center, which expects to
start growing BT cotton in the next few years.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Annual Report

Cairo \[EG1\]

\[EG\]

**SECTION I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY**

Egypt leads the Middle East and North Africa region in the development
and acceptance of agricultural biotechnology. The Ministry of
Agriculture is a strong supporter of biotechnology. Egypt is a large
consumer of agricultural products (such as corn, soybeans, soy meal, and
vegetable oils) derived through modern biotechnolgy and imported from
the United States and Argentina. The government continues to maintain a
general import policy that allows imports so long as the product
imported is also consumed in the countries of origin.

Egypt has not produced any commercial biotechnology crops. However, the
Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI) is
developing a number of GM products for commercialization by working with
leading biotechnology companies and universities in the United States,
but still need to resolve some issues to commercialize potatoes and
squash; including IPR issues and conducting risk assessment and food
biosafety analysis. GMO products that AGERI has considered in research
are: tuber moth and fungal -resistant potatoes, virus-resistant squash,
sugar cane, figs, and tomatoes, corn borer-resistant, drought resistant,
fungal resistant maize, and drought-tolerant rice and wheat. However,
through collaboration with Monsanto, AGERI has developed an
insect-resistant long-staple GM cotton strain, which is considered the
crop #1 for commercialization.

Despite the relatively advanced research and development, Egypt has made
in agricultural biotechnology, public awareness about biotechnology is
very limited and often either misconceived or misunderstood. Egyptian
government leaders recognize the importance of biotechnology as a tool
for national and global development and have set excellence in
biotechnology and genetic engineering as a national goal.

**SECTION II. BIOTECHNOLOGY TRADE AND PRODUCTION**

Genetic engineering programs in Egypt started in 1990. In 1992 a
cooperative research agreement was reached between AGERI and ABSP
(Agricultural Biotechnology for Sustainability Productivity Project) to
develop Egypt's agricultural system and make it more friendly working
environment. Teams of scientists from both Egypt and the United States
were established to address specific commodity constraints and policy
issues such as biosafety and intellectual property rights, and
management and networking within the project.

To date, Egypt has not produced any commercial biotechnology crops.
Research is conducted on the following crops, which have not yet reached
the stage of commercial release:

1.  Potatoes, engineered to resist infestation by potato tuber moth as
    well as developing fungal resistance varieties, developed through a
    collaboration involving AGERI, the ABSP project, and the
    International Potato Center's (CIP) regional office in Egypt.
    Varieties of importance to Egypt have been transformed and are being
    field-tested. The project is at the threshold of commercialization.
    The mechanism to move the tuber-moth-resistant potatoes from the
    research arena to the commercial arena is still being explored and
    will be the focus of future efforts. AGERI has conducted six field
    testing, but can't be commercialized for IPR reasons as well as the
    need for conducting food biosafety analysis and risk assessment.

2.  Squash plants, resistant to a major viral pathogen, resulted from
    cooperation between two Egyptian research institutes, AGERI and the
    Horticulture Research Institute (HRI), and the ABSP project. They
    have been doing their trails for six years, and it hasn't been
    commercialized yet.

3.  Yellow and white varieties of maize, modified for resistance to stem
    borers, independently produced by two international companies. AGERI
    has no gene to work with. These were the first GMOs BT maize to be
    imported into Egypt by the private sector for the purpose of field
    trials.

4.  Cotton, Egypt may be on the verge of launching the country's first
    commercially grown genetically modified crop, a strain of cotton
    that could save the industry millions of pounds every year by
    boosting output and virtually eliminating chemical crop spraying.
    AGERI has found a commercial partner in the Monsanto Company, the
    US-based producer of the world No. 1 herbicide. The new cotton crop
    will contain a gene purchased from Monsanto that makes the plants
    resistant to certain insects, but it will retain its unique Egyptian
    characteristics in every other respect. AGERI has also cooperated
    with Cotton Research Institute (CRI) to insure that the new plants
    produce the sought-after long staple fibers for which Egypt known.
    The selection was done by the breeders, making the collaboration a
    multi-disciplinary approach. The new cottonseeds contain a patented
    gene. Any future user of the gene must pay a royalty to Monsanto,
    but advocates say that increased output, along with the amount
    farmers will save on chemical fertilizers, will more than cover the
    price of the switchover.

5.  Wheat: Scientists in Egypt are in the process of producing
    drought-tolerant wheat by transferring a gene from barely into a
    local wheat variety. The gene used is HUA1.

6.  Rice: Trials are also being conducted on rice in cooperation with EU
    by using tissue culture techniques at the Rice Research and Training
    Center in Sakha to overcome sterility in some japonica crosses, and
    to fix inherited traits such as protein content and starch
    characteristics. Research on the use of biofertilzers to increase
    rice yields in Egypt has demonstrated the beneficial effects of the
    blue-green algae, Cyanobacteria, for rice growth and yield increase.
    The Ministry of Agriculture has set up a program for the production
    of sufficient Cyanobacteria inoculum, to cover an area of about one
    million feddan (400,000 ha).

Egypt's biomass potential is approximately 23 million tons of
agricultural residues and 4.88 million tons of animal waste. One-third
and one-tenth of the fuel requirements of rural Egypt are met from crop
residues and animal droppings, respectively. If proper technology is
applied to convert biomass into biofuel, the same energy requirement
could be met and consequently, an additional 910 million tons could be
diverted to animal feed. Biogas technology was sought as an effective
means to convert agricultural biomass and animal droppings into biofuel
and manure. A research program initiated in the 1950's on an
experimental scale has grown into an ambitious one through the
FAO-sponsored project "Biogas and Rural population". Several small-scale
plants have been set-up in different regions to study their
socio-economic implications.

The process for securing commercial release approval for crops
genetically engineered outside of Egypt has an added step. The applicant
must first obtain a permit for importing the initial seed material from
the Supreme Committee for Food Safety (SCFS), Ministry of Health. The
permit is then presented to the National Biosafety Committee (NBC) and
the Seed Registration Committee (SRC), after which the seed is imported
into the country. From this point forward, the remaining steps in the
approval are exactly the same as for GMOs developed within Egypt.

Procedures for commercializing GMO crops were established in 1998 by
Ministerial decree No. 1648. For varieties produced within Egypt, the
process is as follows:

-   The applicant completes a permit application form providing details
    of the genetic material introduced, the process used for inserting
    it, and other relevant information. The applicant also provides data
    from food and feed safety studies and evidence supporting a
    determination of low or negligible environment risk. Where
    applicable, the applicant provides documents indicating approved of
    similar GMO's for release in their country of origin.

-   The application is submitted to the NBC, which, after examination
    and approval, forwards it to the SRC for their preliminary approval
    to proceed with standard field trials conducted at several
    locations. The SRC assigns a team of qualified inspectors drawn from
    relevant ARC units and/or private certified laboratories to
    supervise cultivation, ensure adherence to any biosafety
    requirements, confirm the new phenotype, and evaluate agronomic
    performance.

-   The NBC has the right to confirm the nature of the genetic
    modification by taking

samples from the field for molecular analysis.

-   After successful completion of the field trials and submission of a
    report to the NBC, the NBC authorizes the applicant to submit an
    application to the SRC for final approval to commercially release
    the new variety. Pending this, three-year seasons of agronomic
    performance trails are conducted under the supervision of the SRC.

Egypt is not a food aid recipient and not expected to be in the near
future. Egypt is also in the final stages of developing its own
biotechnology products. The government continues to maintain a general
import policy that allows imports so long as they are also consumed in
the countries of origin.

#### SECTION III. BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY

**Responsible government ministries and their role**

The Ministry of Agriculture is a strong supporter of biotechnology, and
its AGERI is developing a number of GM products for commercialization by
working with leading biotechnology companies and universities in the
United States. An-interministerial committee chaired by the Minister of
Agriculture is responsible for formulating policy on biotechnology.

AGERI is the main research body of agricultural biotechnology in Egypt.
It is a part of the Agricultural Research Center (ARC), which is
directed by the Ministry of Agriculture. Although there has been some
collaboration with international firms in the private sector, AGERI has
relied primarily on its own scientific resources. This explains the
relatively slow progress of biotechnolgy in Egypt. AGERI has been
working on a wide range of species, primarily on developing pest and
disease resistance and drought tolerance. Species being worked on have
included potato, tomato, cotton, corn, fava bean, cucurbits, wheat,
banana, and date palm. It has received assistance from USAID in the past
and this has encouraged some joint research with U.S. agricultural
institutions.

Egypt does not have national legislation on biotech, but there is a
general government policy regarding the importation of genetically
modified crops into Egypt. At present, there is no requirement to label
GM food products but labeling will be required in the law. AGERI has
high creditability with countries of the region in explaining the
benefits of biotechnology, and officials from all over the region have
been astonished and pleased to learn about Egyptian advances in
biotechnology. Egypt is a convincing example of how developing countries
will benefit from biotechnology.

######  Table 1. Laboratories Located at AGERI 

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ###### Name of Laboratory                                             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Molecular Plant Pathology                                             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Molecular Manipulation and Gene Transfer                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Plant Molecular Biology                                               |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Molecular Genetics and Genetic Mapping                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Micro Propagation Technology                                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Plant Cellular and Molecular Genetics                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Immunology and Diagnosis                                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ###### Name of Laboratory                                             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ###### Protein Nucleic Acid Sequencing and Synthesis                  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Gene Expression                                                       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Biocomputer and Network                                               |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

The Ministries of Health, Agriculture, and Higher Education and
Scientific Research control almost all food policy decisions in Egypt.
In addition, the Ministries of Foreign Trade and Industry, Supply and
Home Trade, and Finance control the flow of food imports and exports
through Egypt.

**Ministry of Agriculture**: The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible
for arranging events and seminars that would explain biotechnology to
farmers and to the public. It works closely with the Ministry of Health
and is the main authority responsible for food cultivation issues.
Within the Ministry, the Central Administration for Seed Testing and
Certification (CASC) controls, tests, and registers new plant varieties.
There are three bodies responsible for food safety and control: the
Reference Labaratory for Safety Analysis of Food of Animal Origin
(RLSAFAO); the Central Labaratory for Food and Feed (CLFF); and the Food
Biosafety System (FBS).

**Ministry of Health**: The Ministry of Health has different specialized
departments and is charged with maintaining and improving the overall
health of the population. Its responsibilities include: approving all
food products for sale in Egypt, supervising food quality, regulating
the use of preservatives in foods, and ensuring that products are
labeled properly with expiration dates.

The ministry has the following committees and organizations:

-   The Supreme Committee for Food Safety ensures the safety of food
    production and consumption and controls food import permitting.

-   The National Organization for Drug Control and Research overseas
    pharmaceutical research and controls distribution.

-   Food Safety and Control General Directorate (FSCGD)

-   The Central Public Health Laboratories (CPHL)

-   The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN)

**Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry (MOFTI):** The ministry
executes its activities through the following organizations:

-   The Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality Control
    (EOS) sets the standards for food and industrial products whether
    imported or locally produced.

-   The General Organization for Export and Import Control Authority
    (GOEIC)

**Ministry of Environment:** The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency
ensures implementation of the Environmental Protection Law in Egypt.

**Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research**: The ministry
plays a complementary role to the Ministry of Agriculture. They both
feed information to the Ministry of Health. If technology appears to be
harmful, the ministry would oppose it. The main research body of the
ministry is the National Research Center (NRC). The center arranges
regular seminars that are attended by officials in government agencies.
It has held seminars on food biotechnology in the past.

**Ministry of Supply and Home Trade:** Controls the flow of imports and
exports through Egypt, and has significant influence on the movement of
GM food and agricultural products.

In 1993, Al-Azhar University established a Regional Center for Mycology
and Biotechnolgy to develop applications for fungi and biotechnology.
Currently it carries out research in different subjects including
biosynthesis of new forms of antimicrobial agents, metabolic regulations
of mycotoxines production, fungi and allergy and fungal biotechnology,
and biodegradations and biotransformations and enzymes.

**Role and membership of biosafety committee**

Egypt has a fairly advanced biosafety system, and it has ratified the
Cartagena Protocol. In 1995, the Ministry of Agriculture formally
instituted Egypt's national biosafety system. A National Biosafety
Committee (NBC) was established and includes representatives from the
ministries of agriculture, education, industry, health, environmental
affairs, private sector, policy makers, and consultants knowledgeable in
policy and applicable laws, and non-technical members. The initial
committee consisted of 10 members. Subsequent appointments expanded
membership to 30. Current members include seven representatives from the
ministries of Agriculture, Health, Environment, Industry, and Commerce;
one representative from the Egyptian Academy of Science and Technology;
12 members from academic institutions; one attorney, eight people from
government research institutes, and one seed expert. Based on area of
expertise, members are appointed to one of three subcommittees that
specialize in agriculture (crops), environment (biopesticides,
biofertilzers, agents for bioremediation), and health (pharmaceuticals,
human, and veterinary vaccines).

The committee is responsible for ensuring the safe use of biotechnology
products and facilitating access to modern biotechnolgy generated
abroad. The system involves several ministries, organizations, and
government agencies involved with the importation, exportation, and
local production of natural products. The committee establishes policies
and procedures to govern the use of modern biotechnology. This includes
publishing the National Biosafety Committee guidelines (NBC guidelines)
to be followed at the national level. The committee also provides
technical advice to the regulatory authorities and institutions
responsible for the development of biotechnology in Egypt. The
guidelines describe the modalities of use, handling, transfer, and
testing of GMOs. They address laboratory practices, greenhouse
containment, and small-scale field-testing.

Duties of the committee include formulating, implementing and updating
biosafety guidelines, conducting risk assessment, issuing permits,
coordinating with national and international organizations. The
biosafety guidelines are not legally binding. They have only advisory
status. There are no details regarding review, decision making, and
reporting processes, and they have not been well publicized within the
country. Nevertheless, the guidelines have functioned since 1995, with
23 permits for field trials issued and four GM crops moving toward
commercial release.

There is also an Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). The NBC
requires that all institutions conducting R-DNA research assemble an
IBC. The IBC is responsible for insuring that the R-DNA is carried out
in full conformity with the provision of the NBC guidelines. The IBC may
establish additional procedures as deemed necessary to govern its
institution's activities. The IBC designates a biologic safety officer
(BSO) that meets the requirements of NBC and who should be familiar with
biosafety.

**Political factors that may influence regulatory decisions**

Egyptian government leaders recognize the importance of biotechnology as
a tool for national and global development and have set excellence in
biotechnology and genetic engineering as a national goal. The Egyptian
government made a strategic decision that the first commercialized GMOs
would be products of Egypt's AGERI/NRC, rather than imported products
grown commercially in their country of origin. In this way, the public's
introduction to biotechnology would be in the form of preferred local
varieties engineered to overcome local diseases or pests
problems-products developed at home to benefit Egyptian farmers, growers
and consumers.

Problems cited for the slow passage of GM crops to commercial stage
include the lack of capacity to negotiate licenses to use genes and
research techniques patented by others, especially for crops with export
potential. In addition, there are difficulties in meeting regulatory
requirements and a lack of effective public commercialization modalities
and working extension networks. One of the problems is the lack of a
dynamic private sector to take technologies to the farmer. It has also
been estimated that regulatory costs might exceed the costs of research
and experimentation needed to develop a given GM crop, which is the
major problem in releasing such crops to the market.

**Environmental requirements**

Egypt has no required environmental tests for GMO products.

**Field-testing of biotechnology crops**

A standard permit application form is used to request NBC approval of a
proposed greenhouse study or field test. Upon submission of the
application, all members of the appropriate subcommittee are given
copies, and one member is designated the principal investigator. The
principal investigator, who may consult with other subcommittee members,
is assigned to thoroughly review the application, visit the field test
location, inspect the facilities, and submit a report to the NBC. The
proposed release is then discussed at a meeting of the full NBC, where a
decision is made to issue or deny the requested permit. When a committee
member is the applicant or had been involved in the research leading to
the GMO to be considered, that member does not vote on the application.

Applications for field testing genetically modified plant material are
submitted to the chair of the NBC. Genetically modified material to be
imported requires an import permit that must be obtained in advance from
the Supreme Committee on Food Safety, Ministry of Health and Population.
Requests should be made a minimum of eight weeks prior to the proposed
initiation of the importation or field test.

The NBC, as the lead agency, sends duplicate copies to secondary
agencies for their assessment (i.e. Supreme Committee on Food Safety),
as applicable. Reviews from the secondary agencies are returned to the
NBC, and a final assessment is performed. From this, a decision is made
whether to authorize the field test. Mitigation procedures are taken to
protect confidential information, such as exact trial sites, plasmid
maps, and exact genetic change. Other information may initially be
designated confidential, however its confidentiality is subject to
provisions in the Access to Information and Privacy Act. Field-test
permit applications must describe the plant species modified to exhibit
a specific trait, to be tested at a specific location in a specific
year.

In Egypt, approval by the NBC to conduct a field test does not require
the applicant to submit a report at its conclusion. During seed
registration trials, an appointed team of inspectors carries out
monitoring. As the purpose of the trial is to evaluate variety
performance, monitoring is conducted primarily to ensure compliance with
biosafety requirements, not to collect biosafety data.

The biosafety system was developed in a way in which components are
added only as they become necessary. For example, testing requirements
for GMO seed certification were not clarified until the first
applications for commercial release were submitted to SRC.

**Table 2. Crops under field trials**

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ###### Crop                                                           |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Cotton                                                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Wheat                                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Maize                                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Potato                                                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Melon                                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Water melon                                                           |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Banana                                                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Sugar Cane                                                            |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Squash                                                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Cucumber                                                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Tomato                                                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Recombinant DNA construct                                             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**Labeling requirements for packaged foods or feeds**

No decisions on the labeling of GMO-based food products have been made,
as those products are not yet being sold in supermarkets. Egyptian law
does not require that biotech crops or products that are utilized,
consumed, or imported have a special approval or labeling, but the
governmental authorities deal with biotech products as it deals with
non-biotech products. In addition, there is no approval needed for
importing biotech products. Egypt requires restrictive labeling for
imports of food products in general, but there is no special labeling
requirement for biotech packaged or non-packaged products. The expected
new law will require labeling for GMO's products.

**Trade barriers that hurt U.S. exports**

U.S. agricultural exports to Egypt currently face no import restrictions
as a result of policy towards agricultural biotechnology. However, this
could change if organizations such as the Ministry of Environment
continue on their negative and often confusing rhetoric about the
"potential risk" of agricultural biotechnolgy and the need for Egypt to
"align itself with Europe on this issue rather than the United States".
The Ministry of Environment praises the European regulatory regime on
agricultural biotechnology, which requires traceabilty, and labeling of
products that are derived through modern biotechnology.

**Pending legislation that may affect U.S. exports**

The Ministry of Environment is taking the leadership role in drafting
Egypt's biosafety legislation and implementation regulations, which may
complicate trading with Egypt. However, the draft biosafety legislation
is not expected to be passed this year, but expected to presented to the
two legislative bodies during the new parliament year, which will start
November 2006. After solving the dispute between the Ministry of
Agriculture and the Ministry of Environment, the draft now is in the
Ministry of Justice to be written in a legislative format way before it
is presented to the legislative authorities.

#### SECTION IV. MARKETING ISSUES 

**Market issues**

There are mixed feelings about the benefits of food and agricultural
biotechnology. While some people acknowledge that biotechnology may
improve food quality and availability, they are also concerned about the
cost of the technology. There is a belief that biotechnology could drive
up prices for raw materials, ingredients, and seeds. In addition to the
price, there is concern with religious beliefs. Political attitudes in
Egypt do not currently favor the U.S. in general, which severely reduces
consumer interest in products from the U.S. However, some food
manufacturers already use U.S. ingredients. Because they are not
required by law to reveal this to customers, they choose not to, fearing
it will hurt sales.

**Studies useful for the U.S. export community or U.S. policy makers**

-   Biotechnology market research: Global Based Initiative (GBI), a
    report for the GBI participants; Promar International, Morgan &
    Myers, & Roper Media and public Affairs (NOP World), August 2004.

-   Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP), Egypt Project
    Final Report. A project submitted by Dr. Johan Brink, supported by
    USAID and implemented by Michigan State University, 2002.

-   Analysis of a National Biosafety System: Regulatory polices and
    Procedures in Egypt, Magdy Madkour, Amin El-Nawawy, and Patricia
    Traynor, Report prepared by AGERI and International service for
    National Agricultural Research (ISNAR), country report 62, 2000.

**SECTION V. CAPACITY BUILDING AND OUTREACH**

**USDA funded capacity building and outreach activities**

USAID financed the AGERI state-of-the art office complex building in
1990. In 2002, post organized a workshop for more than 15 regional Codex
committee members, which was attended by Egyptian media and TV people.
Post also developed a multi-year regional outreach program in
cooperation with AGERI's Biotech Information Center in 2003, and a
number of activities were implemented to better inform stakeholders in
the region about the benefits of agricultural biotechnology. Following
are some of these activities:

An expert from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis,
Missouri visited Egypt in October 2005. He conducted a tour of
ministries, universities, agricultural organizations in Egypt, and
private sector seeds companies to advocate changes in Egyptian law to
facilitate use of biotechnology products and to promote polices favoring
the biotech industry. Three main activities were held in the beginning
of this year, these are:

1)  "Implications of regulatory Sciences in Developing Insect Resistance
    Cotton". A joint workshop organized by The International Services
    for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), and
    Egypt-Biotechnology Information Center (EBIC). It was hold in Cairo
    in Feb 8-9, 2006.

2)  FAO-ICARDA have arranged a policy dialogue on "Harnessing
    Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering for Agricultural development
    in the Near East and North Africa (MENA)" - Cairo, February
    12-14, 2006. The workshop was attended by the Senior Advisor for
    Agricultural Biotechnology, U.S. department of State, Washington,
    D.C., USA. A press conference was arranged for her.

3)  USDA Biotechnology Assessment Team has visited Cairo during the
    period Feb 16-22, 2006. The team consisted of four people from FAS,
    where they met the key persons working in the fields of
    biotechnology and biosafety. The objective of the team was:

-   Establish WTO SPS focal point in the Egyptian Ministry of
    Agriculture

-   Develop the necessary intra-and inter-ministerial coordination
    mechanisms based on WTO compliances

-   Strengthen Egypt ability to comment on measures other countries may
    seek to implement that are not in Egypt's interest.

> The objective of the team was to design an action plan needed for the
> MOA to:

-   Expose competent Egyptian Agricultural authorities (specifically the
    Egyptian Administration of Plant Quarantine- CAPQ- and the General
    Organization for Veterinary Services- GOVS) to best practices
    implemented in the U.S. in addressing SPS and food inspection
    requirements.

-   Strength transparency and risk assessment arrangements from Egypt's
    perspective.

-   Establish and strengthing enquiry point/notification arrangement.

-   Meet WTO SPS risk analysis obligation

-   Develop WTO compliance polices to support trade liberalization

-   Facilitate the automation of the above action plan with appropriate
    technologies including information technology to develop plans for
    cooperating divisions and the WTO unit, and procure the necessary
    equipment and software.

**Future strategies**

A- As a result of the Assessment team that has visited Egypt (Feb 16-22,
2006), the team has set-up a two phases activities funded by USAID to
develop a "Competent National Authority for Biosafety". FAS will seek
the support of the USDA agencies- APHIS, FDA, EPA, etc, to provide
government- to-government regulatory and policy information and
guidance. FAS will also work closely with the U.S. private and
non-governmental sectors in implementing these activities. The project
is broken into two phases- phase 1: policy and regulatory development
and phase 2: Assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture's Competent
National Authority. It will emphasized that all activities under this
program will be completed by September 30, 2007. Following are the
activities that will be implemented under each phase:

Phase 1:

1-Round table workshop of best international practices for biotechnology
regulatory

system, Egypt, September 2006

2-Study tour In a European country to review practical biotechnology
applications,

June 2007

3.  Biotechnology workshop to review U.S. Biosafety system, U.S., 2007

4-Farmer to farmer biotechnology outreach, a visit to a developing
country, Feb-

March 2007.

Phase 2:

1.  Roles and functions of a Competent Authority, U.S., Jan.-Feb. 2007

2.  Environmental Safety Risk Assessment and Field testing training,
    U.S., May-June

> 2007

3.  Borlaug Fellowship Program, U.S., May-August 2007

4.  Commercialization of Biotech crops workshop, Egypt, April 2007

# B- In cooperation with FAS/Washington, Post has selected four key players in the field of biotechnology and biosafety under Cochran program to visit the U.S. in October 2006. The team consists of: two official from the Ministry of Environment, one from the Ministry of Agriculture, and one from the Ministry of Foreign affairs). 

C- Post has nominated two people from Ministry and Environment and
Ministry of Agriculture to attend the "International Biotechnology
Information Conference".

D- In cooperation with Biotechnology Group/ FAS/Washington, Post is
thinking to organize a WTO/biotic trade forum in Egypt later this year.

# 

# SECTION VI: REFERENCE MATERIALS

**Appendix A. Table of biotechnology products approaching
commercialization**

  ------------------------- ---------------------------------------------
  **Crop**                  **Trait category**

  Cotton                    Resistance to certain insects such as leaf
                            worm and boll worm

  Wheat                     Drought tolerance

  Maize                     Resistance to stem borers, and resistant to
                            drought and fungal

  Rice                      Drought resistance

  Potato                    Resistance to infestation by potato tuber
                            moth and fungal resistance varieties

  Squash                    Resistance to a major viral pathogen (ZYMV)

  Sugar cane                Virus resistance

  Figs                      Virus resistance
  ------------------------- ---------------------------------------------