Egypt Proposes Hosting a Global Grain Storage Center at BRICS Summit

One of the modern silos for storing wheat in Egypt, part of the National Silos Project (Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade)
One of the modern silos for storing wheat in Egypt, part of the National Silos Project (Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade)
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Egypt Proposes Hosting a Global Grain Storage Center at BRICS Summit

One of the modern silos for storing wheat in Egypt, part of the National Silos Project (Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade)
One of the modern silos for storing wheat in Egypt, part of the National Silos Project (Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade)

A proposal raised during the BRICS summit regarding Egypt’s potential to host a global grain storage center has sparked inquiries into the North African nation’s motivations behind this initiative and its feasibility.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stated on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg on Thursday that Egypt is prepared to host a global center for grain storage, aiming to contribute to resolving the global food crisis.

Egypt, among six nations including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Ethiopia, and Argentina, has been slated for full membership in BRICS starting from early 2024.

The Information and Decision Support Center of the Egyptian Cabinet listed the gains the country stands to achieve through its accession to BRICS.

These gains encompass enhancing economic and political relations with the bloc’s member states, capitalizing on the collaborative efforts with BRICS nations to support sustainable development initiatives, reducing inter-country transactions in dollars to alleviate foreign exchange pressure, and benefiting from the success of the targeted goals to create a global system that grants more weight to developing nations.

Additionally, Egypt aims to secure more accessible funding for developmental projects, improve local economic indicators, and increase opportunities for foreign investments.

Egyptian parliamentarians and economists commended the Egyptian proposal to host a global grain storage center, affirming that “Egypt possesses the potential and attributes that qualify it for this role.”

Nevin Al Tahri, the Deputy of the Economic Committee in the Egyptian Parliament, remarked to Asharq Al-Awsat that “Egypt holds the qualifications and capabilities necessary to host a global grain storage center.”

Tahri emphasized in this context the nation’s expertise gained from the implementation of the national silos project in recent years.

Through this initiative, Egypt constructed numerous silos with substantial storage capacities and advanced technological capabilities, effectively addressing the storage challenge that was prevalent when grain and crops were imported.

The national silos project is a cornerstone of Egypt’s strategy to ensure food security and maintain a strategic reserve.

This initiative involves the establishment of around 50 silos with a total storage capacity of approximately 1.5 million tons, distributed across 17 of Egypt’s provinces.



Lebanon Military Says One Soldier Killed, 18 Hurt in Israeli Strike on Army Center

Lebanese army soldiers and people stand at the site of an Israeli strike in the town of Baaloul, in the western Bekaa Valley, Lebanon October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maher Abou Taleb
Lebanese army soldiers and people stand at the site of an Israeli strike in the town of Baaloul, in the western Bekaa Valley, Lebanon October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maher Abou Taleb
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Lebanon Military Says One Soldier Killed, 18 Hurt in Israeli Strike on Army Center

Lebanese army soldiers and people stand at the site of an Israeli strike in the town of Baaloul, in the western Bekaa Valley, Lebanon October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maher Abou Taleb
Lebanese army soldiers and people stand at the site of an Israeli strike in the town of Baaloul, in the western Bekaa Valley, Lebanon October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maher Abou Taleb

An Israeli strike on a Lebanese army center on Sunday killed one soldier and wounded 18 others, the Lebanese military said.

It was the latest in a series of Israeli strikes that have killed over 40 Lebanese troops, even as the military has largely kept to the sidelines in the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has said previous strikes on Lebanese troops were accidental and that they are not a target of its campaign against Hezbollah.

Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned it as an assault on US-led ceasefire efforts, calling it a “direct, bloody message rejecting all efforts and ongoing contacts” to end the war.

“(Israel is) again writing in Lebanese blood a brazen rejection of the solution that is being discussed,” a statement from his office read.

The strike occurred in southwestern Lebanon on the coastal road between Tyre and Naqoura, where there has been heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah began firing rockets, missiles and drones into Israel after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of the Gaza Strip ignited the war there. Hezbollah has portrayed the attacks as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas. Iran supports both armed groups.

Israel has launched retaliatory airstrikes since the rocket fire began, and in September the low-level conflict erupted into all-out war, as Israel launched waves of airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon and killed Hezbollah's top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his top commanders.

Israeli airstrikes early Saturday pounded central Beirut, killing at least 20 people and wounding 66, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Hezbollah has continued to fire regular barrages into Israel, forcing people to race for shelters and occasionally killing or wounding them.

Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The fighting has displaced about 1.2 million people, or a quarter of Lebanon’s population.

On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by bombardments in northern Israel and in battle following Israel's ground invasion in early October. Around 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from the country's north.

Hezbollah fired barrages of rockets into northern and central Israel on Sunday, some of which were intercepted.

Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said it was treating two people in the central city of Petah Tikva, a 23-year-old man who was lightly wounded by a blast and a 70-year-old woman suffering from smoke inhalation from a car that caught fire. The first responders said they also treated two women in their 50s who were wounded in northern Israel.

It was unclear whether the injuries and damage were caused by the rockets or interceptors.

The Biden administration has spent months trying to broker a ceasefire, and US envoy Amos Hochstein was back in the region last week.

The emerging agreement would pave the way for the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops from southern Lebanon below the Litani River in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 war. Lebanese troops would patrol the area, with the presence of UN peacekeepers.