Qalaa Holdings organized an inspection tour inside Dina Farms, one of its projects specialized in the agricultural and food industries sector, to review the unique and integrated business model on which Dina Farms is based in manufacturing foodstuffs, in line with international standards for healthy and safe food. In addition, the tour witnessed determining the environmental sustainability model that Dina Farms provides, which conforms to the framework of Egypt’s approach towards adopting and establishing projects that are pertinent to preserving the environment. The tour also encompassed identifying the final preparations for the holy month of Ramadan.
Qalaa Holdings organized an inspection tour inside Dina Farms, one of its projects specialized in the agricultural and food industries sector, to review the unique and integrated business model on which Dina Farms is based in manufacturing foodstuffs, in line with international standards for healthy and safe food. In addition, the tour witnessed determining the environmental sustainability model that Dina Farms provides, which conforms to the framework of Egypt’s approach towards adopting and establishing projects that are pertinent to preserving the environment. The tour also encompassed identifying the final preparations for the holy month of Ramadan.
The tour was attended by Dr. Ahmed Heikal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qalaa Holdings, Ghada Hammouda, Chief of Sustainability and Marketing Officer at Qalaa Holdings, a group of senior officials of the company, and a media delegation that included a large number of Egyptian and regional media outlets. During the tour, the entire turnout learned about the recent achievements of Dina Farms, such as introducing a group of new 100% natural products, namely juices, white cheese, labneh, Greek yogurt, and fruit yogurt. Not to mention, the company has also stated its success in doubling the production capacity of Edam cheese and yogurt products.
Additionally, and still during the tour, some statistics and facts were presented about the farm's agricultural production, which produces the best types of fruits such as grapes, bananas, citrus fruits, mangoes, peaches, apricots, and olives, which happen to successfully meet the needs of the local market. Meaning, the growth rate of the farm’s agricultural crop revenues is 33%, and the proportion of exports to international markets is about 45%. In addition to the animal production farm, which is the largest integrated farm for animal production activities, through which fresh milk is produced and distributed throughout the Egyptian market and exported abroad.
Concerning this matter, Dr. Ahmed Heikal confirmed that Dina Farms operates according to an efficient strategy, based on several values and principles, the most important of which providing food security for consumers in all circumstances. He also mentioned that Dina Farms is constantly and relentlessly striving to provide products of the highest quality standards, at reasonable prices. He also stated: “we have worked during the last period to increase our production for local consumption in order to achieve self-sufficiency, as well as export the surplus to take advantage of export revenues that lead to the provision of more foreign exchange, and thus work in the favor of the Egyptian reserve.”
Heikal also said: “The investments of Dina Farms amounted to about EGP one billion and 330 million, with the aim of providing natural products such as dairy, juices and all fresh meat products that meet the needs of the local market, and in the hope of exporting abroad. Dina Farms has also achieved good, positive financial results in line with Qalaa’s targets. That is to say, during the year 2022, our revenues
amounted to about EGP one billion and 372 million, with a growth rate of 29%, and the profits of the operating farm before taxes, interest, and depreciation amounted to about EGP 229 million.”
Heikal has also explained that the economic fluctuations that the world witnessed during the last period, due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, have affected the exchange rates and they were a challenge for the company, noting that there are future plans for expansion and development by pumping about EGP 380 million into new investments in the sectors of cheese, yogurt, and juices during the next period. He concluded his words by mentioning that Dina Farms is currently continuing to expand with a new assortment of the company's products, in parallel with increasing direct distribution channels, which have proven their efficiency in improving the company's performance, and reaching consumers in all regions across Egypt.
To reinforce what was previously said, Ghada Hammouda commented: “Qalaa Holdings was among the first companies that were keen on implementing sustainability standards in all of its subsidiaries as part of its systematic strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of its investments, rationalize resource consumption and recycling, and shift to clean energy. In Dina farms, clean energy is currently being used through the solar power plant established by “TAQA Arabia”; one of our subsidiaries and the leading energy distribution company in Egypt and the Middle East, using the Photovoltaic (PV) technology, with a capacity of 6 megawatts, which was funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), in line with Egypt's Vision 2030 to use renewable energy. We should also mention that the station contributes to providing about 25% of the total energy needs of the farm.”
Hammouda added: "With Egypt's current intention to rationalize water consumption in agriculture, Dina Farms worked to move forward along with the national directions in implementing its strategy, by preserving the water used in irrigation, by recycling water, and using it again. The solar energy of TAQA Arabia, located in Dina farms, contributed greatly to this at a lower cost, which helped in saving energy on the one hand, and on the other hand saving water, while the most important point is recycling as part of our strategy that is based on sustainability and environmental preservation.”
Yasmine Elabany, Deputy General Manager of the Dairy Products Investment Company (the manufacturing sector of Dina Farms), has also said: “The most important characteristic of Dina Farms products is that they are 100% natural and free of preservatives, which enhances their quality, health benefits, and natural taste, confirming their compatibility with international health standards.”
Elabany has also pointed out that the company manufactures fresh milk inside the farm, in order to ensure the production of milk of the highest possible quality, in addition to that the milk is pasteurized according to international standards to ensure that the nutritional value of the milk is fully preserved while eliminating harmful bacteria. She has also mentioned that the company holds four ISO certificates in quality, safety, occupational health, and food safety.
While Ahmed Samy, Director of Sales Department at Dina Farms, explained that Dina Farms is one of the largest dairy producers in Egypt, and under its umbrella there are four main production sectors, namely the production, animal production, dairy products, and retail sectors. Pointing out that the warehouse tent, located on the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, is the only outlet for direct sales of all Dina Farms’
products, including vegetables, fruits, and milk, in addition to meat and dairy products, and others, which are characterized by safety, quality, and health, and deemed to be a fundamental pillar in all of Qalaa Holdings’ business.
Samy added: "Dina Farms has prepared greatly for the upcoming month of Ramadan, especially with the increase in consumption during this holy month. In other words, we took it upon ourselves to provide all consumers' needs of milk, cheese, meat, etc., as part of our plan to attend to all the consumers’ needs, by extending working hours, and ensuring that there is sufficient stock, distributed throughout Ramadan in all circumstances, making Dina Farms ready to meet all different requests, whether inside or outside Egypt.”
Mahmoud Riyad, Head of Operations Sector in the Agricultural Sector at Dina Farms, explained that the agricultural production sector at Dina Farms occupies about 5,600 acres and is divided into orchards with various types of fruits such as grapes, bananas, citrus fruits, mangoes, peaches, bananas, and olives, which cover the local market needs of the best fruits, while a large part of the production is exported to many international markets. Pointing out that Dina farms rely on growing high-yielding crops that consume small amounts of water and fertilizers, which is part of Dina Farms' strategy to preserve available resources, as well as provide its products at reasonable prices that are of quality, in line with international health standards.
Riyad has also explicated that Dina Farms depends on rationalizing consumption in all aspects, by relying on the latest irrigation technologies and systems in its farms and affiliated projects, by choosing good agricultural varieties of high quality that need little water. Pointing out that there are about 49 pivot irrigation devices on the farm, using the latest methods of monitoring the quantities of water and soil, in addition to that the lands planted with fruit trees such as grapes, bananas, citrus fruits, mangoes, peaches and apricots are irrigated with a drip irrigation system.
For his part, Engineer Tarik Attia, Head of the Animal Production Sector, confirmed that Dina Farms is one of the largest integrated animal production farms in Egypt and Africa, with an area of 750 acres, and the number of herds in it is more than 13,262 head, which is distinguished by the presence of a certificate on the parents and the volume of the mother’s production of milk as well as meat. The production volume of raw milk in the Egyptian market, according to Attia, reaches more than 80,000 tons annually, noting that Dina Farms aims at increasing its dairy production by 9% annually, and aims at increasing the number of herds by 7%, in addition to a plan to raise production to 120,000 liters of milk, in 2027, by increasing the natural growth of the herd or importing.
For his part, Tamer Al Kahki, Head of the Financial Sector at Dina Farms, said that the work within Dina Farms is carried out by linking the four sectors of the farm, namely the agricultural production, the animal production, the dairy products, and the retail sectors, in an interconnected manner to avoid any obstacles that may arise, which might affect the arrival of its products to the final consumer. He also stressed that this plan is reviewed periodically to ensure that it is implemented accurately.
Regarding the role of each sector within the farm, Al Kahki explained that the agricultural production sector, consisting of orchards and agricultural crops, is responsible for producing fruits according to
international standards of quality and green fodder. As for the animal production sector, it includes dairy and fattening, the dairy product factories sector inside the farm that manufactures dairy products and fresh juices. As for the retail sector, it is the only outlet for Dina farms’ products, which is located on a total area of 1024 square meters, and embraces 280 thousand customers.
With regard to the production line of Dina Farms Pie, Ashraf Al Zuhairi, Director of Operations at Dina Farms Pie, said that they have great future plans to expand across Egypt and the Middle East. He also mentioned that they served more than 160,000 pies to more than 336,000 customers during 2022, indicating that the company aims by the end of 2023 to double the numbers, and thus reach more than 600,000 customers.
Al Zuhairi confirmed that the company's vision lies in providing distinguished types of pies of the highest quality and with fresh ingredients from nature, manufactured by the hands of the most skilled and expert chefs, so that Dina Farms Pie becomes a pioneer in the field of making and serving pies in the Middle East. He added that Dina Farms Pie is considered the largest chain of Egyptian pie restaurants on the continent of Africa, with more than 100 professional chefs working in its kitchens.
It is worth noting that Dina Farms is the largest integrated dairy farm established by the private sector in Egypt and the African continent, as it contributes to the settlement of the food industry and its contents, and provides the use of clean energy. It was established in 1987 with a herd of 300 cows of the purest productive breeds. Then, in 2007, Qalaa Holdings took the decision of acquiring it, and transforming it into the largest integrated farm for animal production in Egypt and Africa, with a total area of approximately 10,000 acres, while the size of the herd is more than 13,262 heads, of which about 7,291 are milking cows.