On February 15, the People's Daily published a newsletter from Cairo which reported on the third page: "Let More Deserts Become Fertile Fields", reporting on the deeds of Zhongman Oil Egypt Company in practicing the national "Belt and Road" strategy, promoting local livelihood projects through water well projects, and making positive contributions to Egypt's agricultural development.

"Turn more deserts into fertile land"

Reporter of this newspaper, Zhou Zhou

People's Daily (February 15, 2022, Edition 03)

Nourished by the automatic spray system, green beets thrive in the sun. In the depths of the vast desert in the western part of Egypt's Minya Province, in the barrenness of yellow sand and gravel, the oasis developed by Chinese enterprises is bringing new hope for the local people to live and develop.

"You know, in this desert, irrigation water is not easy to come by," said Ahmed Bannal, Manager of the Egyptian Canal Sugar Mill.  He looked at the well-grown sugar beets and said that, with the help of Chinese companies, a large desert in Minya Province is being transformed into fertile land.  He commented, "What was once a barren land has become an oasis of life and has created great economic value for us."

What gives hope to the local population is the desert drilling project cooperated by China and Egypt. Egypt's arable land area accounts for about 3.7% of the total land area. In order to expand the area of farmland and change the situation of large dependence on imports of grain, in 2015, Egypt proposed a land reclamation plan of "million feddan" (1 feddan is about 4,200 square meters). To reclaim land, water irrigation is the key. Four years ago, the Egyptian branch of the Chinese company, Zhongman Petroleum, undertook the work of drilling 300 wells in the desert. Li Wei, General Manager of the company, said that, at present, the Chinese side has completed the drilling of 154 wells and the water output of a single well can reach up to 1,000 cubic meters per hour. Of the land transformed with well water, 30% has been put into use.

A drilling rig more than 30 meters high stands majestically, creating a unique skyline under the clear blue sky. Workers were busy on the rig in an orderly and tense manner. As the rumbling rig deepened, a large amount of well water gushed out under the impetus of the pump. These complex operations, which were previously done by Chinese technicians, are now basically completed independently by local employees.

"Our Chinese colleagues taught us the most professional well drilling techniques," wearing red overalls and a white helmet, Mohammed, the Site Operations Manager, said emphatically. At present, the project has nearly 300 employees from Egypt and the localization ratio is as high as 96%. Upon induction, each employee receives systematic training and is subsequently assigned to the well team to participate in the operation. "Once the difficulties cannot be solved, the Chinese technical personnel will immediately follow up and solve them in a timely manner," Mohammed said.

"Turning the impossible into a possibility, only Chinese companies have done it!" Ross Greer, the owner of the project and head of the UAE Gulf Group, said before the signing of the project agreement.  They had discussed cooperation with a number of companies, but when the other party listened to the completion date, water output, and other requirements, they all shook their heads, thinking that these ideas were "too naive to be realized." "However, our goals were ultimately achieved. The wells produced more water than we expected, and the results of Chinese work are commendable,” he remarked.

"Whenever I see such a scene and hear such affirmations, I feel that everything is worth it," recalling the hardships of construction in the desert, Zhong Xuelang, the Chinese Operation Manager, said with a lot of feelings. Drilling wells in the desert, in addition to the summer heat, the most terrible thing is the sandstorm. The wind and sand in the desert came without warning, everyone was sometimes busy on the derrick, and the scene was suddenly full of yellow sand, and the wind mixed with sand particles hit their faces and hurt. At the end of the day, people often had sand in their hair, nostrils, ears, shoes, and even overalls.

Osama Ka, Governor of Minya Province, said that water irrigation had always been a key issue for Egypt's national economy and people's livelihood, and the successful drilling of wells in the desert has provided a guarantee for the continuous promotion of the "Million Feddan" land reclamation plan, which "will turn more deserts into fertile land." "Our sugar mill is about to be completed and put into operation. In the near future, our products will be placed on the table of Chinese consumers along the 'Belt and Road', he exclaimed with full anticipation.