Producer group advances social and environmental sustainability on reclaimed desert

Magrabi Agriculture owns and centrally manages Magrabi Farms (MAFA), one of the leading fruit and vegetable growers and exporters in Egypt. It is one of the first operations to have obtained GLOBALG.A.P. certification in the country and is now a long-time GLOBALG.A.P. community member. MAFA actively helps farms to obtain GLOBALG.A.P. certification: “Our commitment to high standards of quality, ethical, social and environmental responsibility has made us a brand name of excellence,” says M. N. Bopana, Managing Director of MAFA. 

The farms are primarily located in an area that has been reclaimed from the desert north of Cairo, the capital of Egypt. The land was arid desert for many years before it was reclaimed. This has led to the creation of jobs for thousands of people, and has encouraged different wildlife species to come and seek habitats in the area.  

Magrabi Agriculture has adopted Good Agricultural Practices which helps in the production of safe food while reducing adverse effects on the environment and workers’ health and safety. Furthermore, considerable parts of the operations have been converted to organic farming. 

A detailed waste management plan has been developed where waste from all individual processes is identified. Solutions include the recycling of waste, composting units for green waste, the identification of waste collection containers and designated areas, the shredding of pruning materials which can then be added to the soil, the collection, reuse or recycling of plastics and packaging, the use and recycling of wooden materials, the collection and incorporation of sediment fertilizers in the compost, as well as the collection of fertilizer and pesticide containers to be resold to contractors for recycling.  

This detailed waste management plan has enabled Magrabi to fulfill the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of “substantially reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.” 

“We at Magrabi believe that our employees are the most important asset of the company and the driving force for development and quality achievements. That is why we have made considerable effort to improve the lives and welfare of the people who work for us,” says M. N. Bopana.  

This includes the establishment and funding of reading and writing classes for field workers in the nearby villages, the school fees for two children of each employee, and medical care for employees, their families and local villages through a clinic with a full-time doctor and medical staff, providing first-aid services as well as routine medical examinations and analyses. 

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