This photo taken on May 3, 2025 shows a well-linked platform at night on the Owainat Water Well project in the desert of the Governor of New Valley, Egypt. (Xinhua / Su Xiankai)
While summer begins, the plots of lush agricultural land extend in the Western desert of Egypt, an area which, until recently, was dominated by sand and rocks. Thanks to the deep wells drilled by the Egyptian branch of the Zhongman and natural gas oil and natural gas group (ZPEC) in China, wheat, luzerne and potatoes are now prospected in tidy rows under the desert sun.
These wells, which are part of a wider effort to recover the land of the desert for agriculture, have transformed the sterile landscape into productive agricultural land, offering a model of sustainable development in arid regions and highlighting the potential of international cooperation to combat food security and ecological restoration.
The project is an example of high quality belt and road cooperation. In Egypt, the Belt and Road (BRI) initiative has become a transformative collaboration platform, extending beyond infrastructure to encompass agriculture, technology and industry. By attacking urgent challenges such as food insecurity, unemployment and technological gaps, the initiative helps lay the foundations for more resilient and sustainable growth.
Drilling for life resources
Egypt, which houses more than 100 million people, struggling with the intimidating task of extending agricultural land in a country where only 4% of the land is arable. To reduce dependence on food imports, the Egyptian government has intensified its efforts to recover the land of the desert since 2015, water sources development of a crucial part of this push.
Zpec, operating in Egypt since 2016, played a key role. Its teams – composed of Chinese and Egyptian employees – has drilled more than 680 wells across the country, from the Sinai peninsula to Asswan.
Zhao Baojiang, project manager for the Owainat infusion operation of Zpec in Egypt, said that his team had pierced 63 wells, each about 450 meters deep, in less than a year by overcoming challenges such as extreme temperatures, sandstorms, complex geology and logistical obstacles.
“We have our first wheat harvest this year, and we are very happy to cooperate with the Chinese company,” said Abou-Elkhier Ibrahim, director of the Owainat sector of the agricultural project for the future of Egypt.
Wheat, the cornerstone of Egypt, is in great demand. According to a report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the consumption of wheat per inhabitant in Egypt on average around 146 kg per year.
Mohamed Elhosary, director of the electromechanical division of the Owainat sector of the future of Egypt Agriculture Project, estimated that each Feddan (approximately 0.42 hectares) of agricultural land in Owainat can produce 3 tonnes of wheat.
“The yield of each Feddan is sufficient to cover the consumption of annual wheat of at least 20 Egyptians,” Zpeo Branch in Egypt told Xinhua Zhao Wutao.
Innovation brings advantages
In the province of Minya, 360 km south of Cairo, the ZPEC also supports the Ferme de Canal Sugar Company, a joint venture between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. The farm allocated a large part of its land to the production of sugar beets for a large -scale local refinery.
ZPEC engineers also faced technical obstacles. According to Abumasalam Mohamed Gouda, director of operations for the branch of Zpec Egypt, the underground water layer in the Minya desert is unstable and the drilling of large diameter has risks of collapse and leakage.
To solve these problems, the company’s technical team has introduced aerial foam drilling technology, which uses stable foam as a drilling liquid to avoid leaks and increase efficiency. This method was then shared with local businesses to help improve their performance.
Hassan Gamal, technical director of the Sugar farm in Canal, said that the 193 wells drilled by Zpec can irrigate 30,000 Feddans (12,600 hectares) of land. In 2023 alone, the farm planted 22,000 Feddans (9,240 hectares) of beets, which were transformed into sugar and widely sold. “It would not have been possible without the Zpecus wells,” he said.
Beyond agriculture, ZPEC’s work also supported local training in employment and skills.
Mohamed Gaber, who joined Zpec as a worker five years ago, is now a platform manager. He credited his Chinese colleagues for having taught him skills and helping him take challenges. “I always try to do my best with the support of teammates, and I am proud to grow in such a team,” he said.
Growing partnership
For many Egyptians, these projects represent more than infrastructure – they represent progress towards greater food security, stable income and a future of hope, said experts, expressing their eagerness to extend collaboration with Chinese companies.
“This is a notable and very positive contribution of Chinese society in the progress of agricultural development in Egypt,” Ahmed Galal, dean of the Higher Institute of Agricultural Cooperation in Cairo, told Xinhua.
“Any effort in the extraction of water or the increase in water resources of Egypt leads directly to positive results for agricultural development in Egypt … We certainly hope that this will continue,” he said.
The drilling project is only part of a broader cooperation between Egypt and China as part of the BRI. Other projects include the central district of affairs of the new administrative capital of Egypt, a textile city of Sadat City and China-Egypt Toda Suez Economic Zone and commercial cooperation in Ain Sokhna. These companies are considered by Egyptian experts as essential engines for job creation, industrialization and joint development.
“China is now increasingly considered a development partner who contributes to job creation and improving living standards,” said Waleed Gaballah, member of the Egyptian association for political economy, statistics and legislation.
He highlighted China’s leadership in renewable energies, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing. “Ensure access to these technologies at a reasonable cost for countries participating in the BRI could make a major change in the lifestyle in their societies.”
Echoing his point of view, Galal said that he is impatiently awaiting Chinese investments in his country, because the ongoing cooperation of Egypt-China by virtue of the BRI is “fruitful and promising”.
“We, in Egypt, really need all these investments. I also hope that this cooperation will develop in all areas, because it is, first of all, mutually beneficial-a win-win situation in terms of shared gains and joint development,” he said.