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November 25, 2024 | 1 month ago

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Between food security and exports : Agriculture on all fronts

Algerian agriculture has risen from the ashes in recent years. This revival has been encouraged by the determination of the country's highest authorities to restore the sector to its former glory and free the country from the burden of imports, which has long weighed heavily on the import bill.

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"Thus, agriculture is now 'summoned' to ensure the country's food security and contribute to non-hydrocarbon exports. Substantial resources have been earmarked to boost this sector, which has little potential.

Algeria, which used to import a large proportion of its agricultural and agri-food products, has managed to cover more than 75% of its needs in this area in recent years, with production approaching $35 billion. Moreover, Algeria, which has shown excellent performance in cereal production, is expected to achieve self-sufficiency in durum wheat and barley by 2027, with 30 million quintals of durum wheat expected to represent the production of the next harvest.

Diversifying exports

As for non-hydrocarbon exports, they are expected to reach $29 billion by 2030. Although, according to the Bank of Algeria's annual report for 2023, they amounted to $5.058 billion last year, a decrease compared to 2022, when they amounted to $5.978 billion, they are much higher than the $1.7 billion that non-hydrocarbon exports were struggling to reach by 2020. However, it should be noted that food exports, which account for 8.5% of non-hydrocarbon exports, increased by almost $159 million (+59.1%), rising from $269 million at the end of December 2022 to $428 million at the end of December 2023. And the year 2024, which is coming to an end, could show much better results.

But what contribution will agricultural and agrifood products make to these exports in the future?

The Minister of Trade, Tayeb Zitouni provided the answer and said last June that the assessment of national capacities for non-hydrocarbon exports had revealed a surplus in many products. He mentioned, among others, 3 million tonnes of sugar and 100,000 tonnes of dates. There is also olive oil, although the quantities remain small, as well as fruits and vegetables and other agri-food products. Some time ago, Toufik Hadkeheil, President of the Algerian Fruit and Vegetable Export Cluster (CAFLEX), rightly pointed out that our country has "considerable export potential" in this sector, thanks to the quality and diversity of its products throughout the year, its expanding agricultural areas, its ideal climate and recent developments in agriculture. He also pointed out that the cluster he supervises holds all certificates of conformity to international standards for agricultural products, which will further boost Algerian products on international markets.

However, producers who are not experts need government help. This support is already taking the form of administrative and customs simplifications to promote non-hydrocarbon exports, the creation of permanent exhibition areas for Algerian products in many African countries with partial coverage of the costs involved, and the opening of subsidiaries of public banks abroad".

November 25, 2024 | algeria-logo

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