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A QUICK INTRODUCTION ABOUT WHAT YOUR COMPANY DOES/YOUR VALUES/MISSION.
Al Barq Contracting was established in 1989 as a partnership company specializing in construction projects including infrastructure and electromechanical installations and has performed 50+ successful projects in Egypt since being established.
Recently, land reclamation, agriculture, and livestock businesses in Egypt are very promising and rapidly booming with full governmental support. As a result, Al Barq Contracting, LLC which is a family-owned company was formed in 2018 to take advantage of the Egyptian government’s announcement about opportunities for LLC’s to own land properties designated for agribusiness projects.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF?
I’m currently the general manager of Al Barq Contracting, and I’m holding a university degree in civil engineering.
I have mastered project management and I was approved as a certified project manager by the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) several years ago.
I have 30+ years of background experience in managing construction projects, in addition to preparation of feasibility studies, business plans and executive summaries for new industrial and agricultural business proposals.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME A YEAR OR TWO, WHAT PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF?
I would advise myself to go deeper in sustainable mixed agriculture and livestock projects to contribute our quota in growing the Egyptian economy and help in solving the local shortage problems of fresh beef, forage crops and natural fertilizers, and for sure to make profit.
WHAT PROBLEM DOES YOUR BUSINESS SOLVE?
The main problem is the local shortage of forage crops and livestock to produce fresh beef, as Egypt imports 50% of its needs.
WHAT IS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR BUSINESS?
Applying a circular economy system to agriculture and livestock projects is the inspiration behind my proposed business.
Our proposed solution is to start up a sustainable mixed agriculture and livestock project in Egypt under the theory of shifting from linear model to circular model in the economy system, where the project will be based mainly on the use of renewable solar energy and renewable underground water for the cultivation and irrigation of organic forage crops to feed and rear cattle herds. Hence, to produce fresh beef, forage crops and natural fertilizers for the growing local market needs.
WHAT IS YOUR MAGIC SAUCE?
• The project is under the theory of shifting from the linear model to the circular model of the economic system that can be expanded in Egypt or replicated in other African countries.
• The project has a positive impact on the environment and mitigates climate change as it is a sustainable circular economy system project, where all agricultural wastes and animals manure will be collected, organically treated and reused as natural fertilizers.
• The project has a direct economic impact on reducing water-food consumption by using a smart irrigation system, reducing energy-food consumption by using clean solar energy, and of course, the commercial produce of the project will surely help in solving the shortage problems of fresh beef, forage crops and natural fertilizers in Egypt.
• The project has a direct social impact on poverty reduction, gender equality and affording more job opportunities.
• The project is in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030 that reflects the three dimensions of sustainable development; the economy, the society and the environment.
We know that there are a lot of small cattle owners and homestead farmers who will supply fattened calves in small quantities, but our commercial production of fattened calves fed on our own forage crops would place us in a favorable market position.
WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR THE NEXT 5 YEARS? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?
We seek to integrate three main objectives into our work: a healthy environment, a community development and an economic growth.
Our long term vision for sustainable growth and impact over the next 5-10 years is to become one of the leading cattle rearing and forage crops producers in Egypt and to achieve the following:-
• To have the rate of growth in total agricultural productivity factors more than in many other sectors, and to exceed the population growth rate.
• To have a close and dynamic link between increases in population, income and productivity in the agricultural sector.
• To have crop yields and livestock productivity substantially raised, and to have the real price of food substantially declined over the long term
• To have the share of consumers’ expenditure devoted to food fall, thus to have the amount of disposable income available for purchases of other goods and services.
• To contribute our quota to growing the sustainable circular economy model in Egypt, where our mission is to afford fresh beef meat, forage crops and natural manure for every household in rural areas with reasonable prices.
• To have a successful circular economy model that can be expanded or replicated in other developing communities or countries.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU’VE FACED SO FAR?
• The biggest challenge is that the current linear economy is leaking value throughout the value chain, while plugging this value leakage and moving forward to value creation and subsequent value capture is central to the transition to the circular economy.
Moving towards a more circular economy could deliver benefits such as reducing pressure on the environment, improving the security of the supply of raw materials, increasing competitiveness, stimulating innovation, boosting economic growth and creating new jobs.
Consumers will also be provided with more durable and innovative products that will increase the quality of life and save them money in the long term.
• The circular system and the linear system differ from each other in the way in which value is created or maintained.
A linear economy follows the take-make-dispose plan. This means that raw materials are collected and transformed into products that are used until finally discarded as waste. Value is created in this system by producing and selling as many products as possible.
A circular economy follows the 3R approach: (Reduce) resource use, (Reuse) of products and parts and (Recycle) raw materials and reuse to a high standard. Value is created in this system by focusing on value preservation.
HOW DO PEOPLE GET INVOLVED/BUY INTO YOUR VISION?
Start-up expenditure and Initial Cost of Investment (ICI) required for proceeding with the project and completing its three consecutive phases in 18 months’ time is $3,749,300
The three consecutive project phases can be summarized as follows:
• Phase #1 will take six months and will require cash flow of $1,537,500 for project launching, deep well drilling, land reclamation and irrigation systems installation.
• Phase #2 will take six months and will require cash flow of $1,706,600 for planting seeds, growing and harvesting the forage crops to get fodder ready for receiving the first cattle herd.
• Phase #3 will take six months and will require cash flow of $505,200 for cattle-rearing and calf-fattening.
Al Barq Contracting aims to raise the full project funding through venture capital, equity financing, joint-venture or any kind of direct investment agreement.
