The challenge of grain corn in southern Algeria

In the southern provinces of Algeria, grain maize is transforming, driven by the idea of producing this staple feed for poultry farming locally in order to reduce external dependence, which has a significant impact on prices. During a visit to Timimoun last week, Agriculture Minister Yacine El Mahdi Oualid presented this sector as a strategic choice and ordered that resources be mobilised to secure the harvest, from the field to storage. For him, the battle for self-sufficiency will not be won solely with land, but with a complete chain, including harvesters, dryers, transport and collection centres, capable of absorbing increasing volumes.

Target: 220,000 hectares of maize by 2028

The challenge is primarily measured in terms of imports. Algeria imports approximately 3.5 million tonnes of grain maize each year, mainly to feed poultry and keep white meat affordable. It is precisely to reduce this bill that the stated objective is to reach 220,000 hectares of maize by 2028. The momentum is already visible in certain southern wilayas, where harvesting has become a seasonal event.

In Adrar and Timimoun, acreage has increased in recent years, with projected production announced at over 380,000 quintals for the 2026 season. In the field, yields remain uneven but are increasing. Records of 115 quintals/ha have been reported, with an average of around 80–90 quintals/ha, according to reports released at the start of the harvest. However, this increase cannot ignore the trade-off that exists within the sector, namely that silage maize attracts investors due to its shorter cycle and free market outlets, while grain maize, which has a longer cycle and requires more irrigation, is the type on which poultry farming directly depends.

Public policy is attempting to make grain more "bankable" for farmers: the purchase price has risen from 4,500 DA to 5,000 DA per quintal under the framework outlined by the ministry, to improve profitability. The agricultural services, for their part, have set gradual targets, with a goal of 30,000 hectares sown with grain maize for the past year, part of which is in the north and the majority in the south. But production is not enough. It is also necessary to capture and preserve. During his tour, the minister emphasised the availability of harvesters and dryers, as well as the facilitation of the transport of crops to the National Office for Animal Feed (ONAB), the nerve centre of the downstream sector.

Announcement of a future local seed production programme

Timimoun has just taken delivery of nine local intermediate storage facilities with a total capacity of 450,000 quintals, which are due to come into service next season in order to reduce post-harvest losses and shorten distances. Recent experience has shown that logistics is an invisible factor in yield, in that halting a harvest due to a lack of lorries can be as costly as poor fertilisation, especially when drying and transport over hundreds of kilometres then has to be organised.

What remains essential in these arid regions is water, soil quality and technical expertise. In Timimoun, the minister reiterated the importance of respecting farming practices and using modern technologies to secure yields, proving that the government wants to avoid mere lip service. Another project is already underway: seeds, which are still imported, with the announcement of a future local seed production programme to reduce this link of dependency.

In the meantime, the sector is progressing through accelerated learning, supported by cereal and pulses cooperatives (CCLS), the National Office for Animal Feed (ONAB) and agricultural supply stakeholders, and by an equation that sums up the social urgency of the issue: stabilising the cost of poultry feed means protecting both purchasing power and food sovereignty.