The Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture is working to reduce reliance on imports and decrease the dominance of international companies in the agricultural sector by registering local vegetable varieties and hybrids. The Horticultural Research Institute's National Program for Vegetable Seed Production has successfully registered 26 varieties and hybrids for 11 crops, with plans to add five more. This initiative is expected to save Egypt $4 billion annually by reducing imports of seeds, currently amounting to $1.5 billion annually or 646 thousand tons. The program is receiving support from both political leaders and international companies to provide high-quality, competitively priced seeds to Egyptian farmers.