Egypt's government is investing heavily in fisheries - a sector that is central to national agricultural policy and whose exports to Italy are set to flourish, agriculture minister Abdel Moneim al-Banna told Adnkronos news agency on Wednesday.
"We believe there will be a major expansion with Italy," al-Banna said.
Egypt has the second largest fisheries industry in the world, producing 1.8 million tonnes of fish annually of which 600,000 tonnes is destined for export.
Egypt's fisheries extend from the Mediterranean to 5,000 lakes and as part of a drive to increase fish production, Egypt's president Abel Fattah al-Sisi recently inaugurated the Lake Ghalioun project, al-Banna noted.
Al-Banna was in Rome From Monday to Wednesday to attend a meeting of the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)'s governing body.
