Chinese well-drilling technology turns Egypt's deserts into farmland

As summer begins, patches of lush farmland stretch across Egypt's Western Desert, an area that, until recently, was dominated by sand and rocks. Thanks to the deep wells drilled by the Egypt branch of China's Zhongman Petroleum and Natural Gas Group (ZPEC), wheat, alfalfa and potatoes now thrive in tidy rows under the desert sun.

These wells, part of a broader effort to reclaim desert land for agriculture, have transformed the barren landscape into productive farmland, offering a model for sustainable development in arid regions and underscoring the potential of international cooperation in addressing food security and ecological restoration.

The project is an example of the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. In Egypt, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has evolved into a platform for transformative collaboration, extending beyond infrastructure to encompass agriculture, technology and industry. By tackling pressing challenges such as food insecurity, unemployment and technological gaps, the initiative is helping to lay the groundwork for more resilient and sustainable growth.

DRILLING FOR RESOURCE OF LIFE

Egypt, home to over 100 million people, grapples with the daunting task of expanding farmland in a country where only about 4 percent of the land is arable. To reduce reliance on food imports, the Egyptian government has stepped up efforts to reclaim desert land since 2015, with water sources development a crucial part of this push.

ZPEC, operating in Egypt since 2016, has played a key role. Its teams -- composed of Chinese and Egyptian employees -- have drilled more than 680 wells across the country, from the Sinai Peninsula to Aswan.