Egypt’s Zohr natural gas field, the largest in the Mediterranean, has started production with initial output of 350 million cu ft per day, bringing the country closer to its goal of energy self-sufficiency, the oil ministry said in a statement.

Gas from one of the world's largest offshore fields is pumped to a facility in Port Said city, to be prepared for delivery to the national distribution network, Tarek El-Molla Egypt's Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources, was quoted as saying by Emirates news agency Wam.

He noted that the daily output is set to rise to about 1 billion cu ft in June and 2.7 billion by the end of 2019.

The field operated by the Italian oil giant Eni is estimated to hold 850 billion cu m of gas.

Production from Zohr will help the most populous Arab nation achieve "self-sufficiency of natural gas, ease the burden on the state budget and cut the imports bill," he added while addressing a conference organised in the Egyptian capital on the challenges faced by the country in areas of oil and gas and future prospects.