Algeria- President Abdelmadjid Tebboune revealed, in the last cabinet meeting, that Algeria’s achievement of complete self-sufficiency in durum wheat production has become within reach, after producing 80% of its annual needs during this season.
The President explained to the members of the Ministerial Council that the abundant production of durum wheat during the current season allowed for the provision of $1.2 billion to the state treasury.
Tebboune stressed that achieving the strategic goal will be through expanding the cultivated area in the Great South to 500 thousand hectares, including Qatari investment mainly across an area of 117 thousand hectares in southern Algeria, and Italian investment in 36 thousand hectares, in addition to national investments in 120 thousand hectares.
The President of the Republic also directed the government to improve the yield per hectare, which should not be less than 55 quintals per hectare in the south, given the huge potential that these regions have, especially water and electricity, according to a statement by the Presidency of the Republic.
Foreign partnership agreements
This came after the signing of an Algerian-Italian partnership agreement, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit of major manufacturers, recently held in the city of Bari, to complete a huge project in the southern province of Timimoun, called the “Matei Africa Foundation”, which will extend from 2024 to 2028, to produce grains and legumes, as well as food industries.
Before that, the Algerian government had won a strategic agreement with the Qatari company “Baladna” to establish an integrated agricultural industrial system project in the desert province of Adrar, at a cost of 3.5 billion dollars.
The Algerian-Qatari project covers a total area of 117 thousand hectares, consisting of 3 poles, headed by a farm for the production of grains and fodder.
American reports placed Algeria in second place in Africa in wheat production for the year 2023, with a total production of 7 million tons in the 2022-2023 season, while its annual wheat consumption reached 11.4 million tons during the same period, according to Algerian state television.
In 2022, Algeria was among the 10 largest wheat importing countries in the world, and the second in the Arab world, with imports worth $2.7 billion, or 3.7% of the total wheat imported globally, according to the World’s Top Export Organization.
“Our Country Algeria”…the largest in the world
Regarding the importance of the Algerian-Qatari-Italian partnership and their prospects within the government’s food security plan, economic expert Ahmed Souahlia confirmed that the “Our Country Algeria” project is the largest in the world for the production of dried milk, with 51% for the Qatari side and 49% for the Algerian partner.
Swahliya revealed to Al Jazeera Net that a joint committee with Baladna Company will be established within the next 15 days, including administrators, technicians and local officials, to supervise the implementation of the project.
He explained that the start date of work on the project will be in October 2024, and the completion of the studies will be two or three months after the signing of the aforementioned agreement (April 2024).
Swahili said that the project will provide 250 products, and seeks to be a gateway to Africa, while ensuring 270 thousand heads of cattle, using modern farms with several axes, at a rate of 30 thousand hectares for each.
Swahili spoke about producing 1.7 billion liters of milk annually, with a focus on growing fodder, corn and wheat using the SCADA irrigation system to improve water efficiency, in addition to using the best global technology in the field of rotary milking machines for cows.
For his part, agricultural expert Hassan Bin Yahya considered that the Algerian agricultural partnership with the Italians is beneficial to both parties, especially since Italy has not yet reached self-sufficiency in the production of durum wheat, as it imports more than two million tons to cover its needs estimated at 6 million tons annually.
Ben Yahya pointed out that Italian expertise has more than 600 varieties of durum wheat, some of which are of high quality and nutritional value, which is what Algerian agriculture needs in light of its climatic characteristics, through the introduction of new varieties and the expansion of the production circle.
Strategic agriculture priority
Regarding the Algerian government’s policy and its openness to foreign partnerships to achieve self-sufficiency in durum wheat, food security expert Ali Boukhalfa confirmed to Al Jazeera Net that Algeria is at the forefront of Africa and the Arab world, as it has achieved about 75% of its food needs locally, especially with regard to agricultural products, such as vegetables, fruits and dried legumes.
However, it is still linked to the supply of other strategic materials, such as grains, milk, red meat, oils and sugar, which cost it an annual bill of $10 billion, according to the same expert.
The agricultural advisor explained that President Tebboune has issued several decisions since 2020 in favor of agricultural development in general and strategic crops in particular, including raising the price of returning grains to the units of the “Algerian Office” (a government body), as a quintal of hard wheat reached 6,000 dinars ($45) and a quintal of soft wheat reached 5,000 dinars ($37), while a quintal of barley and carob became 3,400 dinars ($25).
Boukhalfa also pointed out, among the mechanisms to stimulate investment in grain cultivation, the establishment of the National Office for Desert Agriculture, support for fertilizers from 20% to 50%, financing smart irrigation methods, in addition to granting licenses to import spare parts, agricultural equipment and tractors that are no more than 5 years old, with a reduction in taxes and fees on agricultural products, as well as the integration of modern technologies for scientific research in agriculture.
The agricultural advisor also discussed raising storage capacities from 44 million quintals to 90 million quintals, with the registration of an additional program with 350 silos and nearby storage centers across 34 governorates, which facilitates the return of the product to the units of the National Office of Cereals and Dry Legumes.
Food security is possible under certain conditions.
Regarding the technical conditions required for the authorities to succeed in achieving the agricultural challenge, expert Hassan Bin Yahya stresses the inclusion of fallow lands in the north (200 thousand hectares) among the areas eligible for production, with the provision of supplementary irrigation water at a rate of 600 million cubic meters, which allows the production of 800 thousand tons (a yield rate of 4 tons per hectare).
Ben Yahya stresses the need to expand the areas in the south by 500 thousand irrigated hectares, which requires more than 10 thousand wells within the next 6 years, considering it a very difficult task that requires strong implementation companies, in order to increase annual production to approximately 450 thousand tons of hard wheat.
In light of this, expert Ben Yahya expected that 2.7 to 3 million tons of wheat would be reached in the south over the next 6 years, provided that major investments are made in the field of wells, basic facilities, life foundations, strong agricultural machinery, tractors, electricity connection, and identifying varieties with high yields and resistance to natural factors.
The expert warned that exploiting 500,000 hectares in the south and another 200,000 hectares in the north requires approximately 3.5 to 4 million quintals of fertilizers in addition to what is used today.
As for foreign investors, expert Ben Yahya focused on the need for speedy completion by competent companies, in light of a solid logistical base, with subsequent care that makes achieving advanced food security possible, in parallel with a great effort to correct the consumption pattern.
