October 26, 2024 | 2 months ago

Dates for start of production known: Rouiba, Bordj Badji Mokhtar and Bouira dairies soon to be operational

“In the government's general policy for 2023, there was talk of increasing national cereal production to 3 million tons, for an annual requirement estimated at 11 million tons of wheat alone”, claimed MP Abdelhamid Zekkour, during the question session addressed to the Minister of Agriculture, asking about the means envisaged to make up this shortfall, in addition to extending irrigated areas and granting aid to farmers to encourage them to focus even more on this sector.

Algeria Invest
Legal Notices | Terms of Services
news-detail

At a cabinet meeting, the Minister announced a national plan to ensure self-sufficiency in corn, barley, and durum wheat, thus reducing imports. More than 3 million hectares have been earmarked, aiming to ensure self-sufficiency in barley and durum wheat by 2025-2026, by increasing irrigated areas in the South. For corn, 35,000 hectares will be dedicated to In Salah.


In addition, 495,000 hectares have been allocated to the Office for the Development of Industrial Agriculture, with more than 92,000 hectares allocated to public companies. Notable foreign investments include the Italian Good Food project in Timimoun for the cereals and pulses production.


The minister also mentioned the mobilization of an additional 500,000 hectares for strategic crops and assured that efforts are being made to improve agricultural infrastructure, notably through the construction of silos with a storage capacity of 4 million tons.


Concerning a former milk powder production project, the Minister alluded to obstacles caused by lobbies, highlighting the partnership with Qatar's Baladna, which could cover 50% of the country's milk powder requirements. A project for a new dairy in Algiers is underway, with production scheduled for February 2025, in addition to other units in various wilayas.


October 27, 2024 | algeria-logo