The Zambian and Egyptian governments have embarked on a joint pilot project of early maturing multipurpose fruits for juice production, the Times of Zambia reported on Monday.

"Among the fruit crops being piloted are citrus fruit trees. There is hope that the plants would acclimatize with the conditions in Zambian soils," Egyptian Ambassador to Zambia Salah Abdel Sadeq was quoted as saying by the paper.

Last year, the Egyptian government helped planting 6,000 mango trees in central Zambia's Mumbwa district. The ambassador said his government, apart from providing the seedlings, also provided machinery such as tractors and technical support while Zambia provides labor and land.

According to the envoy, mango trees from Egypt need less time to mature, and the fruits are more juicy compared with local breed.