President Abdel Fattah El Sisi witnessed Wednesday the inauguration of a fish farming project in Ismailia.

Attending the inauguration ceremony were also Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Defense Minister Sedqy Sobhy and a number of senior state officials.

Verses of the Holy Quran were recited at the beginning of the ceremony. 
Addressing the inauguration ceremony, chairman of the Administrative Control Authority (ACA) Mohamed Erfan reviewed the outcome of a plan of action conducted by the national projects committee.

He told the audience that the committee had revised 1,637 projects, of which 120 were to be given the go-ahead by the president. 

Of those 120, only 96 were inaugurated, Erfan noted.

He made it clear that the president will today give the green light to four projects: fish farms, El Nasr Floating Bridge, 12 fishing ships and a cultural center in Port Said. 
The fish farming project in Ismailia is meant to produce fish strains in line with international standards, the ACA chairman said.

Hopefully, those strains would help narrow the gap between production and consumption, which stands at 700,000 tons annually, Erfan noted.

He told the gathering that the project also aims to export any fish surplus and create 10,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The project is about establishing 4,000 fish tanks over three stages, Erfan said. He made it clear that 1,029 tanks should be built as part of the first phase, noting that so far 600 have been established.

Erfan said that El Nasr Floating Bridge is meant to connect the cities of Port Said and Port Fouad to ease traffic by 75 percent. 

About the project to establish 12 fishing ships, Erfan said it aims to develop the fish wealth sector and upgrade the efficiency of the Egyptian fishing fleet. This project should secure between 150 and 200 jobs, he added. 

As for the cultural center in Port Said, the ACA chairman said it will help boost cultural awareness among citizens.
Mohab Mamish, the board chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), also spoke during the ceremony. 

A number of development projects are being implemented to serve the Egyptian people, Mamish said, noting that feasibility studies had been conducted on a correct scientific basis. 

Those projects are meant to rebuild the Egyptian state using the most advanced systems, the SCA chairman added.

Indeed, the Egyptian people are living a hard time due to an accumulation of problems that have not been addressed in a correct scientific way, Mamish acknowledged, but he still stressed the need for all to live up to their responsibilities in easing the burden of the government for a better future for Egyptians and a leading Egypt.

Today, two development projects are being inaugurated, Mamish said, proudly announcing that it was SCA workers who accomplished the mission as part of their societal role to serve the people of Egypt.

The projects are 100% Egyptian in designs and implementation, Mamish said, seeing in this a proof that Egyptians can overcome challenges. 
Board chairman of the Suez Canal aquaculture company Mohamed Magdy Abdel Samie then spoke to the gathering. 

Fish wealth is an important sector of the the Egyptian national economy, Abdel Samie said.

He put the current volume of fish production at about 1.4 million tons annually, while consumption reaches 2.1 million per year.

Projects have thus been implemented to increase fish production in order to narrow the gap between local production and consumption, Abdel Samie noted.

He made it clear that the fish farming project is being implemented following directives by President Sisi and is one of a number of fast-revenue economic projects.

This project will also help improve the living conditions of Egyptians, develop the Suez Canal Corridor and reconstruct the Sinai peninsula, Abdel Samie told the attendees.

He said the project secures some 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, adding that fish surplus will be exported with the aim to increase the country's income of foreign currencies.

Established over an area of 7,500 feddans along the Suez Canal, the project is being implemented in three phases, Abdel Samie explained. 

The first phase should take 20 months, the second should be implemented in 12 months and the third should be completed in 2018, he noted.

Source: MENA