UAE-based agriculture business Al Dahra could buy land in Egypt, according to two sources, Reuters reported.

This move could significantly improve Egypt’s dependence on crop imports, and the investments could help the North African country reclaim desert areas.

If the negotiations with the Egyptian military’s National Service Projects Organisation (NSPO) come to fruition, Al Dahra could acquire over 200,000 hectares of land.

“Should new agreements or partnerships be established in Egypt, Al Dahra will announce (them) at an appropriate time,” the company said, per Reuters.

Activists have long been against the purchasing of arable land in low-income countries, arguing that oil-rich nations push for such acquisitions for their own food security.

Al Dahra claims that the company is taking every measure possible to carry out the expansion in the most sustainable way.

According to an August report by Bloomberg, Egypt previously secured a deal with UAE’s Al Dahra, allowing the agriculture company to “offer imported wheat to Egypt by participating in the international tenders the government routinely holds”.