CAIRO, EGYPT — Blumberg Grain, a U.S.-based food security company, opened its state-of-the-art Grain Command and Control Center, as part of the government of Egypt's Shouna Development Project. The launch was onsite at the Egyptian Holding Company for Silos and Storage (EHCSS) in Cairo on Dec. 20. 
The Blumberg Grain Command and Control Center is a comprehensive management system that monitors grain and other harvested products as they are deposited by farmers, processed, stored and eventually distributed to retailers and customers. The initiative is the continuation of Blumberg Grain's Shouna Development Project, which was launched in Alexandria, Egypt earlier this year. 

"Food security has become a growing concern across the world,” said Philip Blumberg, Blumberg Partners' chairman and chief executive officer (CEO). “In Egypt, the loss of wheat and other grains has been detrimental to the national economy. The launch of Blumberg Grain's Command and Control Center is a major milestone in food security technology here in Egypt."

"The Blumberg Grain Command and Control Center is the heart of the Shouna Development Project,” said Khaled Hanafy, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade. “Its integrated systems will be able to follow every bag of grain as soon as it enters the distribution network. We have never been able to track food supplies like this before. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Blumberg Grain and seeing further revitalization of Shouna grain network in the near future."

Once the Shouna network is fully developed, the Blumberg Grain Command and Control Center will provide access to detailed information, including status maps of all 294 Blumberg Grain Aggregation and Processing Centers; inventory management; trending data; commodity pricing and live video feeds. The center uses satellite feeds and sophisticated sensor technology to monitor grain distribution networks in real time. It also monitors weather patterns – if it indicates an oncoming sand storm, for example, operators will be able to enact emergency protocols to protect the grain inside the system. All of this is monitored centrally and implemented remotely. 

"We are privileged to work alongside the Egyptian government to deliver this project,” said David Blumberg, CEO of Blumberg Grain, Middle East and Africa. “This partnership is a recognition of the economic benefits Blumberg Grain's development program offers. Our goal is to reduce post-harvest losses, currently in excess of 40%, to under 5% and boosting grain output by as much as $600 million annually," David Blumberg, CEO of Blumberg Grain.

Through the Shouna Development Project in Egypt, Blumberg Grain is establishing a comprehensive system for grain storage in the Middle East. Across 11.4 million square feet of warehousing, the centers will be able to process up to 11.7 million tonnes per year and securely store 2.35 million tonnes at any one time – or 27 kilograms of wheat per Egyptian citizen.

"If in the near future, we can commence Phase 2 of the Shouna Development Project, we are prepared to announce and begin construction of a major Middle East and North Africa manufacturing plant and export hub in Egypt,” said Blumberg. “Our Manufacturing Plant investment would be the beginning of our $250 million investment program in agriculture in Egypt."

Once complete, Blumberg Grain's MENA manufacturing plant will be the largest of its type in the world, employing 1,000 Egyptians at full production, the company said.